Note: I accessed digital review copies of this book through Edelweiss and NetGalley. ( )

This book is not for everyone. Some will love the slight vagueness of both the story and the illustrations. Others might be bothered by the fact that we never really know why the boy falls for Sylvia, or why she notices him when she does. It’s a cute story, with whimsy and fantasy.

Possible Objectionable Material:
Some might object to the boy changing himself to get noticed by the girl he likes, rather than just being himself, while others will find it sweet that he noticed what she likes and ran with it.

Who Might Like This Book:
Particularly, kids who’ve had a crush on a classmate.

Thank you, NetGalley, for the ARC. This book also reviewed at http://biblioquacious.blogspot.com/2017/08/a-panoply-of-picturebooks.html and on Amazon, Goodreads, and Librarything. ( )

On his first day at school, the narrator of this Spanish picture-book falls helplessly in love with Sylvia, the girl sitting in the desk in front of his. Unfortunately, Sylvia only has eyes for the birds, whom she observes from afar. Gaining a new appreciation for these avian creatures, the narrator decides that if he is to win his lady love's heart, he must dress up as one himself...

Originally published in Spain as El dia en que me converti en un pájaro, this lovely book from French author Ingrid Chabbert and Spanish illustrator Raúl Nieto Guridi - credited only as Guridi on the cover - offers an interesting, open-ended tale of first love, and the extraordinary lengths to which we will go to attract the attention of the beloved. I found the narrative here very appealing - perhaps because of its quirky quality? - and thought the artwork, created with pencil and photoshop, was beautiful. I'm not sure to whom I would recommend this one though... perhaps to those, like me, interested in picture-books in translation, or perhaps to those looking for children's stories that address first love? ( )

A fun Children's book. This would make a good bedtime story for your child. I love the pencil sketches. ( )

A boy falls in love with a girl in the first day of school, but Sylvia is only interested in birds, so he decides to became one. The boy makes a wonderful bird costume, and wears it to school every single day, which proves to be a challenging task. Sylvia only notices him when the boy's face appears through a hole in the worn out costume.

I liked the story because of the potential I saw in it, but I found it kind of lacking in the overall. The semi-open end didn't work for me. Sylvia didn't notice the boy when he was just a boy, nor when he was just a bird, but when in some way he was both. I would have liked to understand why is that. The illustrations are original and beautiful, all in greys scale.

I received this copy from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

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