User:Dumagoes/Bird (Book)

Bird written by Zetta Elliott and illustrated by Shadra Strickland is a picture book written in 2008. It won the New Voices Award Honor from its publishing company Lee & Low Books Incorporation.

Background
Zetta Elliot is a poet, author, and obtained a doctorate degree in American Studies from NYU. She wrote Bird as her first children's book in 2008.

Plot Summary
The book narrates the story of a young black boy named Mehkai, nicknamed bird by his Grandad. Bird loves to draw more than anything, and the book demonstrates his life in illustrations of his surroundings along with Mekai's childhood artwork. Throughout the story, the reader learns of Bird's brother Marcus, a graffiti artist that teaches Bird to draw. However, Marcus introduces internal and external familial difficulties with his ever-growing drug addiction. Through Bird's drawings and surrounding elders, he learns to comprehend Marcus's complicated situation, learning that "some broken things can't be fixed".