Be prepared for cries of “Oobly snoobly!” and “Cloggen Zoggen Itsyboggen!” after the book is finished. HarperCollins, 12.99 (32pp) ISBN 978-0-06-112322-1 Sometimes the best toys are improvised, according to this celebration of the humble cardboard box. Portis pictures the birds in a plain suburban backyard, and the birds’ cheerful, unorthodox sounds, pictured in voice balloons and hand-lettering, contrast with the strict horizontal and vertical lines. “Lost caws,” sighs Cardinal, until Crow returns in a better mood. Goofiness prevails, however, when Cardinal exclaims, “Ickle zickle! Pickle trickle!” Crow flies away, displeased and determined to resist the antics. This tale begins with Crow, Dove, Cardinal, and Little Brown Bird sitting on a power line and expressing themselves with their usual “caw,” “coo,” “chip,” and “peep.” However, “Little Brown Bird didn’t want to sing the same old song,” and she experimentally chirps, “Froodle sproodle!” The large Crow sternly looks her in the eye (“Little brown birds say peep!”), and Dove nervously offers a literal olive branch (“Dove liked to keep the peace”). Portis, whose Not a Box proposed alternative uses for a cardboard cube and whose A Penguin Story imagined how Antarctic birds regard non-wintry colors, delights in “What if?” questions.
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