The Go-Away Bird

A new Julia Donaldson book is always something to look forward to but, on first impressions, I'm not overly impressed with this one. Maybe I just need to read it a few more times but I didn't feel an instant spark to suggest this is going to be a big hit with little ones.The story itself, about a grumpy bird who wants to be alone before realising she does need friends after all, is ok but it's nothing that hasn't already been done before.I don't think the change in illustrator helps in terms of appeal though. Don't get me wrong, Catherine Rayner's illustrations are simply beautiful but I can't help thinking they're far more appealing to adults than to young children, who of course are the target audience. They are incredibly delicate and detailed, rather than bold, bright and attractive like the drawings of Axel Sheffler, Lydia Monks and Nick Sharratt, all of whom Donaldson has successfully collaborated with on numerous occasions in the past. In my experience, these are the type of illustrations that appeal most to young children. I'm not sure how many children will choose to pick up this book ahead of one illustrated by the others mentioned. There are also lots of blank, white spaces on each page which again doesn't appeal to young children. Of course, as adults we should be teaching children not to judge a book by its' cover so to speak but at the end of the day there's no getting away from the fact that it's the pictures that naturally draw a child towards a book and I'm just not sure this one stands out from the crowd enough to become a classic.

I've already read this story five times in 12 hours to my nursery-age grandson, and I know that as soon as his older cousins arrive, they will enjoy it too. As always, Julia Donaldson's rhymes are ingenious and funny, and some of them have already stuck in his memory. The repeated 'Go away! Go away! Go away!' encourages him to participate in the storytelling too. The Go-Away Bird really is an African bird with a distinctive grey crest and call that sounds like 'Go away!', and I have seen smaller birds band together to mob a raptor to drive it away, so the story is rather more ornithologically correct than most picture books! The illustrations and endpapers by Catherine Rayner are exceptionally beautiful - I shall look out for more books she has done, as it makes the inevitable demands to 'Read it again!' more bearable when I have some brilliant pictures to enjoy.This is one of the best new books I have bought for my grandchildren, and it deserves to become a classic.

This has gorgeous illustrations, and is a very quick read (which is good for those days when you're too tired to read for ages). Unfortunately a lot of the text is the bird shouting ''go away!' which my daughter gets a bit too excited about, and isn't great for a pre-bedtime book. My son also finds the illustration of the 'get you' bird (some kind of raptor) a bit scary. For me, I just feel that after being so mean to the other birds the go away bird should be a bit more apologetic at the end and say ''please stay'' rather than ''you can stay''. But that's probably just me being picky! I much prefer Sir Lilipad and The Worst Princess or the Wishgiver boy.

Fantastic book from Julia Donaldson, great rhyming text. Good storyline and wonderful images. Loved the repeating verses that allows little ones to join in during the story time. This is Julia at her best and the message about friendship and kindness is very clear plus the story is based on a real bird! This book is a classic.

I bought this for a lockdown treat for my granddaughter, she loved it.It kept her reading during the period away from school, and often read to us over FaceTime.

A quite different book by Julia Donaldson with an interesting rhyming rhythm, personally not one of my favs but the 6&4 year olds love it and know it almost word for word after a few weeks and as it’s for them not me that’s what counts!!

Really lovely book with a good message about sharing. My Grandson really enjoyed the story and the illistations are brilliant as well.

A fantastic story, beautiful illustrations. My children enjoyed joining in with the repetitive “Go away” section.We are HUGE Julia Donaldson fans in this house. A big hit all round!