Peep hears the most beautiful music--the Dawn chorus--every morning and he wants to be part of the song. However, he keeps missing auditions because of sleeping in. Peep feels as if that is the end of his story but he is made for something more. The illustrations are positively beautiful.

When Peep hears a beautiful song one morning, the little bird immediately sets out to find its source, eventually discovering the "Dawn Chorus," a choir of birds who welcome each new day with a group singing performance. Determined to join their ranks, Peep practices for an audition, but finds that somehow he just can't sing in the morning. It is only when he meets another nightingale that he learns that he is a night-time singer, and has something special of his own to add to the music of the forest...

Originally published in the UK as The Dawn Chorus, this picture-book debut from British author/artist Suzanne Barton is just charming, with a sweet story and lovely illustrations. Peep is an endearing little hero, and I appreciated the message, implicit in his story, about finding your own artistic voice, even if it means pursuing a less traveled path. That said, it was the artwork that I particularly enjoyed. Barton's color choices were very appealing, especially the night scenes with their deep blue backgrounds, and her use of musical notation added a sense of whimsy. The birds themselves were interesting (and quite beautiful), with their wings created (or so it appears) through collage. This is really quite an accomplished debut - I will hope to see more from Barton! ( )