Jack's ability to read funny stories from an old washed-up box of books wins the friendship of the crusty gulls, and interspecies harmony abounds at last. Until, that is, they learn that he has a skill none of them do. In spite of Jim's efforts to defend his friend, the villagers can't seem to get beyond Jack's differences. "Who's that funny bird," old Captain Seagull asks. Unfortunately, the other (white) gulls aren't so hospitable. There he encounters a dashing seagull named Jim, who welcomes Jack into his life and shows him the wonders of his seaside village. (Sept.Longing for adventure, Jack the blackbird decides one day to venture out from his forest home to seek the excitement of the sea. This gentle, allusive tale might be a parable about race, immigration, friendship or romance, and that rich ambiguity is its strongest suit. Nevertheless, Crowther's childlike ink-and-watercolor sketches-presented as six-to-a-spread miniatures and full-page illustrations-powerfully convey the volatile situation and wordlessly show a child-seagull learning from the loaded interactions. When Jim visits Jack's forest home, no blackbirds appear to welcome (or reject) him. Although sensitive to Jack and Jim's dilemma, Belgian author Crowther doesn't cover all the bases. Jack endures their scowls and upturned beaks out of loyalty to his friend, and ultimately gains acceptance by demonstrating a skill the gulls lack: an ability to read. `I guess they're curious about you.' "" In fact, the gulls dislike Jack for reasons they don't quite articulate (""Who's that funny bird?"" asks one). "" `It must be the first time they've ever seen a blackbird,' said Jim. Jim invites Jack home to his port, but Jack grows uncomfortable at the other gulls' stares. He ventures to a pebbly beach where he meets Jim, a white-feathered bird wearing a sailor's blue-and-white stripes. Jack, a forest bird with dark feathers and a bright-red T-shirt, yearns to explore the ocean.
Diversity looms large in this understated, provocative look at the friendship between a blackbird and a seagull.
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