Vernon the frog is out foraging when he stumbles upon a bird. From the illustration, we can see that this bird is painted wood, with buttons for eyes and striped pegs for legs. But Vernon only sees a bird. He asks him a few questions with no response, and invites bird to join him. Vernon introduces Bird to his friends, and remarks very sweetly, "Bird is shy ... but also a very good listener." When Bird does not respond to the fun activities Vernon plans for them, he figures that Bird must miss home. So Vernon goes into the unknown to help find a home for Bird.
The more I look at this book, the more I love it. It's sweet. and funny. The phrase "Bird said nothing" is repeated many times throughout, and it gets funnier with each repetition--in particular, because Vernon reads into his silences: homesickness, shyness, good listening, bravery, etc. I love the illustrations--they're bright, colorful, messy, and as exuberant as the story's delightful ending.
The trailer is great btw, you can see more or less exactly what I described above except with Stead's illustrations (and music he composed, too).
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