XRaffi's For the Birds

by Sylvain XMeunier, Elisabeth XEudes-Pascal (Illustrator)

Overview

This morning, Raffi McCaffery is anxious. Behind his house, chain saws are threatening to topple trees and build on land where songbirds live. Without a place to nest, what will happen to the common yellowthroat? Raffi isn't sure what he can do to save the birds, because he has trouble walking. His legs may be weak, but he has lots of ideas, and friends ready to help!

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780887801723
Publisher:	Formac Publishing Company, Limited
Publication date:	06/29/2012
Series:	Formac First Novels
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
Pages:	1
Lexile:	640L (what's this?)
File size:	3 MB
Age Range:	6 - 9 Years

About the Author

Sylvain Meunier was born in Lachine, Quebec, and has written several books for adults and children. Two of his novels, Le seul ami and L'Homme a la bicyclette, have been finalists for the Governor General's award.

Editorial Reviews

Formac Publishing company's First Novels series seem to be meant to address multicultural and environmental issues in the context of a juvenile novel. In this case a bird-watching boy with Sickle-cell anemia tries to preserve the lot that is home to yellow throated warblers. He enlists friends, his home-visiting teacher, and even his disgruntled older sister in a campaign to stop the building of a five story apartment building. As laudable as it may be to get children thinking about such issues, this is a case when the theme overloads the story. The characters are unconvincing, the plot seems contrived, and the resolution predictable. While, it may be the victim of translation, the writing also has a somewhat clumsy feel. The text is broken up into short chapters, and the density is kept light by periodic pencil drawings done in a cartoony style. Reviewer: Mary Hynes-Berry

Children's Literature - Mary Hynes-Berry