Birches

James Howe, author
Ed Young, illustrator

Publisher: HMH Books for Young Readers; First edition (February 28, 1994)
ISBN: 978-0152380137

The littlest cricket of Swampswallow Pond is convinced only by the Wise Old One that being special has nothing to do with physical metamorphosis, flashy colors, or shimmering wings.

“The cricket is every child who stopped the music because someone criticized casually, thoughtlessly. It takes a wise friend to bring the music back.”—School Library Journal