Encourage students to linger on each page and look for details in the pictures. It is important to read both the text and the images and see how they work together. On a few pages in this book, Pearson puts dialogue in caption boxes at the top of some panels. Fluffy, cloud-like bubbles mean someone is thinking, not speaking. The tail of the balloon points to the speaker. Re-reading is also important in graphic novels to see how the pictures and words work together. You can read words and then pictures, or pictures first and then words, but be sure to read them both.

Read the panels on the page from left to right and top to bottom, and read within each panel the same way.

This is the third book in the Hildafolk series. The oversized pages are brimming with color and energy, and readers of every age will find the story and the illustrations delightful. Hilda lives in a fantasy world, but she is a realistic child that all children can relate to and see themselves in. In Hilda and the Bird Parade, Pearson addresses weighty childhood issues, such as the changing roles of parent and child and standing up to your peers, with heart and intelligence. The big finale at the spectacular parade provides some frightening moments, but, of course, all is well in the end. As she and her new friend traverse the city looking for home, we see that Hilda still carries her optimism, curiosity, and adventurous nature, which help her make the most of this unfamiliar new setting. She befriends an injured raven who has forgotten how to fly, and commits to helping him regain his memory.

She struggles to understand and fit in with the rowdy local kids, and when they take to throwing rocks at birds, Hilda isn’t having it. Despite her mother’s trepidation, Hilda sets off to get to know the new kids and her new hometown. When Hilda and her mother move from an idyllic countryside-where Hilda loves to roam and explore-to an unfamiliar city, her mother fears for her safety.

Hilda and the bird parade