Bea by Christine Sharp

UQP, 2013. ISBN 978 0 7022 4961 7.
(Age: 4+) Warmly recommended. Picture book. Being different. Bea the bird with long eyelashes and brightly coloured scarf around her neck, stands out from the flock. No digging for worms or pecking at ants, she'd prefer to be in the kitchen baking. While the other birds roost together and fluff their feathers, she'd prefer to dress up and go out to the disco: when the rest are wallowing in the rain, she melts into a bubble bath and when others are doing what birds do, she is up high in a hot air balloon exploring.
A neatly written story of being different, of following your own path, of being true to yourself, this handsome picture book will be a favourite amongst kids in the classroom and at home. A range of illustrating techniques and styles is sued to reflect the tale of Bea, while the differing pages will give all the readers a treat deciphering the technique used. I loved the mixture of photographs and coloured pencil, the collage effects and the pages set in the night with swirls of white showing the path of the stars like an map of the night sky.
Fran Knight