• Age: 6 to 11
• Grade: 1 to 6

A clever counting book and fable unlike any other and winner of the 2011 Governor General's Award for Illustration.

Ten birds are trying to figure out how to get to the other side of the river. The bird they call “Brilliant” devises a pair of stilts. The bird they call “Highly Satisfactory” engineers a raft. One by one, nine resourceful birds make the crossing until a single bird is left behind - the one they call “Needs Improvement.” This bird's solution proves surprising - and absurdly simple.

More than a counting book, Ten Birds is a witty story that highlights ingenuity, common sense and the inadequacies of labels. Cybèle Young's intricate chiaroscuro pen-and-ink drawings depict a rich alternative world that both children and adults will marvel over.

Cybèle Young is an award-winning artist who exhibits her exquisite paper sculpture (Japanese paper printed with etched copperplates) internationally. She has illustrated several books for children, including Pa’s Harvest by Jan Andrews, which was nominated for the Governor General’s Award (Illustration) and Jack Pine by Christopher Patton. She has recently written and illustrated A Few Blocks, a Kirkus Best Children’s Book and winner of the Alcuin Award; Ten Birds, winner of the Governor General’s Award (Illustration); and A Few Bites, which received starred reviews in Kirkus and Publishers Weekly and was named an OLA Best Bet. Cybèle lives with her family in Toronto./p

Cybele Young's profile page

• Winner, Outstanding International Book, USBBY
• Winner, Best Books for Kids & Teens, Starred Selection, Children's Book Centre
• Winner, Best Children's Books of 2011, Kirkus Reviews
• Winner, Governor General's Literary Award, Children's Illustration, Canada Council for the Arts

Ten Birds