Same-Sex 'Marriage' Goes to School -

Reviewers' comments about Jack and Jim quoted on Amazon.com:

Editorial Reviews
Amazon.com
Longing for adventure, Jack the blackbird decides one day to venture out from his forest home to seek the excitement of the sea. There he encounters a dashing seagull named Jim, who welcomes Jack into his life and shows him the wonders of his seaside village. Unfortunately, the other (white) gulls aren't so hospitable. "Who's that funny bird," old Captain Seagull asks. In spite of Jim's efforts to defend his friend, the villagers can't seem to get beyond Jack's differences. Until, that is, they learn that he has a skill none of them do. Jack's ability to read funny stories from an old washed-up box of books wins the friendship of the crusty gulls, and interspecies harmony abounds at last.
Though the story has an innocent sweetness to it and the plot line is pleasantly meandering, the denouement seems forced as lessons about the importance of tolerance and the value of literacy are blurred. No question, the book's shining glory is in its illustrations. Kitty Crowther's ink and watercolor pictures are quirky and appealing, with the seagulls dressed in jaunty stripes and Jack the blackbird in a handsome red shirt. The seagulls in the village have a mean, quarrelsome look about them, while Jack's and Jim's open expressions reflect their unbiased hearts. (Ages 4 to 7)
--Emilie Coulter --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.
From Publishers Weekly
Diversity looms large in this understated, provocative look at the friendship between a blackbird and a seagull. Jack, a forest bird with dark feathers and a bright-red T-shirt, yearns to explore the ocean. He ventures to a pebbly beach where he meets Jim, a white-feathered bird wearing a sailor's blue-and-white stripes. Jim invites Jack home to his port, but Jack grows uncomfortable at the other gulls' stares. " 'It must be the first time they've ever seen a blackbird,' said Jim. 'I guess they're curious about you.' " In fact, the gulls dislike Jack for reasons they don't quite articulate ("Who's that funny bird?" asks one). Jack endures their scowls and upturned beaks out of loyalty to his friend, and ultimately gains acceptance by demonstrating a skill the gulls lack: an ability to read. Although sensitive to Jack and Jim's dilemma, Belgian author Crowther doesn't cover all the bases. When Jim visits Jack's forest home, no blackbirds appear to welcome (or reject) him. Nevertheless, Crowther's childlike ink-and-watercolor sketches -- presented as six-to-a-spread miniatures and full-page illustrations -- powerfully convey the volatile situation and wordlessly show a child-seagull learning from the loaded interactions. This gentle, allusive tale might be a parable about race, immigration, friendship or romance, and that rich ambiguity is its strongest suit. Ages 4-8.
Copyright 2000 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.
From School Library Journal
PreSchool-Grade 2-Jack, a blackbird, leaves the forest to see the rest of the world and meets Jim, a white seagull. The two become friends, but the rest of the gulls in the seaside village are unfriendly and suspicious of the stranger. Nevertheless, Jim takes Jack home and they spend time together fishing, visiting the nearby forest, and going through a chest of books that washed up on the beach. None of the villagers can read, but Jack gladly shares a story aloud with his friend. Neither of them realizes that little Norbert is listening. The young gull tells his mother about the stories and she decides to meet Jack. When she reports back to the villagers about her visit, all of them want to meet the newcomer, too. In the end, Jack has plenty of new friends and is accepted at last. Would that it were so easy! The anthropomorphism is inconsistent and the gulls' hostility is jarring. Though the watercolor illustrations are pleasant, they are not sufficient to carry the tale.
Roxanne Burg, Thousand Oaks Library, CA
Copyright 2000 Reed Business Information, Inc.
Card catalog description
Jack the blackbird and Jim the seagull become friends, but Jack is sad that the other seagulls do not seem to like him. --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

However, the kids seem to get it okay.......according to this Amazon.com reader-reviewer:

A Charming Tale of Acceptance, October 2, 2003
Reviewer: Scott Sherman [link] from Richmond, VT USA
Jack and Jim charmingly tells the story of Jack, a blackbird, who comes to befriend a seagull named Jim. They meet on the beach (Fire Island?) and spend the night together, talking. The next morning, Jim takes Jack to his hometown, where Jim shows Jack the sights with his arm around his shoulder. After an exhasuting day, they spend the night together again. The next day, Jim's seagull friends reject Jack because he looks so different. Jack is thrilled when Jim tells him that if his neighbors can't accept Jack, then he won't be friends with them anymore. Later, Jack winds up winning Jim's friends over, and the formerly-nasty seagulls come to accept and value Jack. This is a sweet book about learning to respect diversity and to follow your heart. When I read the book to my three year old, he asked "Are they (Jack and Jim) partners?" Improbably, yes. --This text refers to the Hardcover edition

(Emphasis added)

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