School Library Journal (Tue Feb 01 00:00:00 CST 2011)

PreS-Gr 1 Hodgkinson's debut is well-tuned. Drummer Bear, pianist Croc, trumpeter Lion, and percussionist Snake jam, then plan to compete in a contest, until they realize that they lack singing talent. A tiny red bird in a fedora, whom they initially dismiss for being too small, wows at auditions in disguise (striped stilts, oversize glasses, and a yellow trench coat) and receives apologies when his identity is revealed. Despite the bird's tenacity, stage fright sets in until the band's rhythm "started in his feet/and traveled quickly to his beak." The quintet, of course, wins the top prize and poses before a backdrop of stars that reflect their success. The "bigger isn't better" lesson is slightly heavy-handed, but the rhyming text and dynamic scenes in vivid colors keep the tale rocking. Panels in various sizes are simple compositions that encourage focus on the personalities depicted. From the crooning moose to the singing hippo in a boa, the illustrations don't miss a beat of humor. Read this aloud with soft but bouncy jazz in the background, and your crowd will cheer as well. Gay Lynn Van Vleck, Henrico County Library, Glen Allen, VA

ALA Booklist (Tue Feb 01 00:00:00 CST 2011)

Friends Bear, Lion, Snake, and Croc are excited about the upcoming talent show. At practice, their band is really swinging, but something's missing: vocals. Alas, "the only sounds that / they could make / were GRR, SNAP, GROWL / and HISS of Snake." It's time for auditions, but so far, no good: they dismiss the only one to audition, Red Bird ("You're much too small. / Now GO AWAY!" says Bear). But right when almost all hope is lost, a tall, mysterious, sunglasses-wearing stranger arrives, revealing a fabulous voice d an unexpected surprise. Though perhaps a bit lengthy for younger ones, this upbeat debut's bouncy stanzas keep the pace lively, while cheerful, cartoonish art, both full page and panel style, portrays the expressive, humorously attired animals (Snake, for example, looks like a beatnik in her beret). Readers will appreciate Red Bird's determination to participate despite initial rejection as well as the reassuring message that it's not size and appearance but what's inside that matters.

Kirkus Reviews

The animal band needs a vocalist. When the four beastly friends learn about the Talent Show, they practice day and night. With Croc on piano, Lion on trumpet, Bear on drums and Snake shaking the maracas, they think they have a shot to win. But something is missing; it's Bear who realizes, "If we want to win this thing, / One of us will have to sing." All four try vocals, but none succeed. A little red bird—the same bird whose musical aspirations they mocked just days before—arrives to help the animals, but again they reject him. Shortly after, a very tall and mysterious figure in a trenchcoat impresses the whole quartet. Even the youngest readers will delightedly guess that he's the bird in disguise (on stilts). Heartfelt apologies and a winning performance follow. Hodgkinson's light verse bounces along, and her illustrations are a riot of color; her four predatory instrumentalists look cute and harmless (if initially ungracious). A breezy nudge for the nascent little music maker. (Picture book. 4-6)

Horn Book (Mon Aug 01 00:00:00 CDT 2011)

Bandmates Bear, Lion, Snake, and Croc dismiss Red Bird because of his diminutive size. Eventually they realize that the bird's singing voice could give their rockin' band that little something extra to win the talent show. Even meter and vivid, amiable illustrations help make up for a couple of uninspired rhymes in the text and for the story's obvious lesson.

Publishers Weekly (Fri Oct 06 00:00:00 CDT 2023)

Hodgkinson's American debut is a didactic tale told in plodding, rhymed verse, though her jovial illustrations partially offset the weakness of the text. A ragtag band in search of a lead singer rejects a red bird for no other reason than he's ""much too small."" The band members audition several singers before they are captivated by the singing of a ""tall stranger,"" comically dressed in a long trench coat and cat's eye glasses. As the stranger sings and dances, his costume falls apart, revealing (no surprise) the red bird on stilts, but the forced gravitas of the text undercuts the humor. When the band says, ""Red Bird, will you forgive us, please?/ We realize we were wrong to tease,"" the bird answers, ""You really were unwise/ to simply judge me by my size."" What follows is a brief subplot about the bird's fears of singing in front of an audience, but he quickly recovers and the band wins the talent show because, the judges judged on talent, not on size,"" a message that hardly needed repeating. Ages 4%E2%80%939. (Mar.)