Max is a cat and Bird is a bird. Cats chase birds. And sometimes they eat them. But Bird doesn’t want to be chased - or eaten. Bird asks Max to help teach Bird how to fly. This is a humorous story about friendship and maybe not eating our friends. I highly recommend it for anyone who likes cats, or birds, or both.

Note: I received a free copy of this book from NetGalley. I was not compensated in any other fashion for the review and the opinions reflected below are entirely my own. Special thanks to the publisher and author for providing the copy.

Max and Bird is another example of an adorable book for children. Max meets bird and thinks he wants to be friends, but does he know what that means?

This was just as cute as the first installment, Max the Brave! In this one, Max (a kitten) finds Bird (a bird) and wants to do what all kittens do: chase Bird and eat them for a tasty snack! But instead, Bird makes a deal that if Max teaches him to fly, then he'll let Max chase him...but of course as the plot plays out (I won't spoil how a kitten can teach a bird to fly!) Max and Bird become fast friends, and after a hilarious inner struggle (where Max makes a pro/con list: pro: tasty snack; con: no friend HAHAHA) Max ultimately decides not to eat Bird. Hurrah!

This was a sweet picture book, but unfortunately the illustrations were not formatted correctly in the provided copy, so it makes it hard to accurately judge. Thanks for the copy!

Max the kitten is back in Max and Bird, written and illustrated by Ed Vere. Max is sure he knows exactly how kittens and birds interact and is determined to chase Bird and eat him, but Bird convinces Max to wait and maybe help him learn to fly first. With bright, engaging illustrations, children will love this newest adventure involving the lovable Max and his new friend. With a strong message of friendship and understanding, the text is fun to read, but also gives parents a starting point to discuss making friends and how to interact with those who are different from you.

The text and illustrations are sometimes humorous and will likely get giggles from young readers, and parents won’t mind reading this one aloud if it becomes a book little ones request again and again.
For fans of Max, this is a great new addition to that series. Recommended for ages 3 and up.

Cute book! I definitely liked it just as much as the first one and I know my students will as well!

Max and Bird tells the story of a cat and a bird. It shows how two different animals can become friends and how their friendship gives them strength to fulfil their dreams. Children can be inspired to be creative, determined and resilient through reading this book. Thanks to Sourcebooks Jabberwocky and Netgalley for the ARC.

This book was okay. I have liked other of the "Max" books, but this one felt a little generic. I think the story needed a little more imagination.

“Oh”, said Max. “But it’s rule of nature. Birds get chased by kittens.”

“But friends don’t eat each other up!” said Bird.

“Hmm”, said Max. “We need to think about this.”

This is the third outing for Max but the first I have seen – will be looking out for the others now! This is an adorable picture book with effective, colourful illustrations which show a wide range of emotions through simple changes. An unlikely friendship is formed between a kitten and a bird when the bird challenges the kitten’s assumption that birds are there to be chased and eaten. They traipse off to the library to learn how to fly and Max realises he no longer sees Bird as just a tasty snack.

I will definitely be using this book for the beginning of the academic year with my new class to talk about how friends come in all shapes and sizes and what we need to do to be a good friend.

Bird explained the principles of friendship to Max.

“Friends have fun together and help each other out…”

If you teach me how to fly,” said Bird, “then we’ll talk about the chasing…”

What I liked: Cute, colourful art style and adorable storyline – I will be looking for others in this series now. Loved them going to the library to learn how to fly because ‘libraries know everything.’ Liked how bird got frustrated and overcame it as how Max made a list of pros and cons when deciding whether or not to eat Bird.

Even better if: I had the rest of the books already.

How you could use it in your classroom: Read it to your children/ class and discuss what makes people friends – perhaps have them come up with ther own ideas for what makes friends friends as well as predicting what Max will do at the end.

I haven't read the previous Max books. I had no clue Max was even a well-known kitten, or who his creator was. I stumbled upon this book on Netgalley and decided to check it out. Something about it just snagged my attention, even though I can't quite say what. After all, the art is kind of squiggly and the title is rather, er, blunt.

I'm glad I checked it out. Max and Bird is a ridiculously cute book for beginning readers. The colors, simple illustrations, and well-chosen but sparse words all work together to create a special kind of magic. The fact that it relays a message about friendship is just icing on the cake.

At only 32 pages long, it's the perfect size for curious kiddos just beginning their reading journey. Ed Vere does have something special going on here. Max and Bird is worth checking out, squiggles and all.

My children and I have loved Max and enjoy reading about his friends and adventures ever since we stumbled upon Max the Brave a couple years ago at the library. Max and Bird is certainly no exception. The illustrations are minimal and simplistic, but in a good way. The story-telling is well thought out but brief and to the point. I was given the opportunity to read this book through NetGalley in an eBook and I cannot wait to add it to Max the Brave and Max at Night on my girls' bookshelf.

Max is a naive young kitten who attempts to act like a traditional cat, but is sidetracked by his sweet nature. Usually this means he ends up befriending his dinner. I've been smitten with him since being introduced to him in Max the Brave. In that first book, Max went in search of a mouse to catch. Unfortunately, he had no idea what a mouse was. I loved him even more in Max at Night, when Max headed off on a quest to find the moon and say goodnight. If you haven't been introduced to Max yet, you are going to want to get copies and read them.

In this book Max meets a baby bird. After some negotiating, Max agrees to help the little bird learn to fly. I adore that the two of them go to the library to check out books about flying.

After some research, they figured out what to do. Both of them concentrated, stuck out their wings and flapped hard. Nothing happened.

No matter how hard they tried and how much they dreamed of flying, they couldn't take off.

You are going to have to read the book to see how the flying and friendship lessons go.

Ed Vere's sweet humour appeals to adults and children alike. His books teach all of us that friendship can be found in all kinds of people, no matter how different they are from us.

Our family has enjoyed Max the Brave, so having another in the series was exciting. It is a cute story, explaining a bit about nature (food chain) and a bit about friendship and loyalty. The ending was a little weak, it sort of just ended somewhat abruptly ... my boys thought I must have missed the last page or something.

A fun filled feline and feathered frolic. Max and Bird discover that even the least likely duos can become friends.

Max and Bird is another picturebook by Ed Vere featuring the spunky little cat named Max. When Max meets Bird, Max thinks he'd like to be friends with Bird. He would also like to chase Bird and maybe eat him as a tasty snack. But friends do things together not make snacks out of each other.

Max and Bird is a cute and entertaining tale about Max learning a lesson about life and friendship. Max and Bird decide to be friends and try to learn how to fly. As a librarian I was thrilled that going to the library to research how to fly was included- it made me smile and I hope it sticks with some of the young readers and listeners of the story that a library is a great place to get more information. However, if they had asked a librarian they could have had help getting the right book, and those from the higher shelves. I also like that the pair further problem solved by talking to an adult that clearly knew the information that they were looking for. This is another winner from Vere- with Max learning a lesson while being cute and funny along the way.

Max the cat and bird (who hasn't learned to fly in the beginning of the book) are friends. Max helps bird learn to fly. They take a trip to the library to read books about flying and aerodynamics. After much exhaustive flapping and a conversation with a pigeon. bird finally gets the hang of it (no such luck for Max).

The primitive-style art is engaging. The story about friendship between natural enemies, one who usually eats the other--is delightful. The antics of Max the cat and bird will delight small children. Five stars.

Ed Vere has been a firm favourite on my children's book shelves for many years. We love Mr. Big and The Getaway and I have really enjoyed sharing the first Max book with the Early Years children I read to when I worked in schools. This book has all the classic Ed Vere hall marks; Bright pages with sparse but beautifully weighted text and gloriously frenetic illustrations. Max is dishevelled and earnest looking, even when wanting to eat Bird. Bird, despite not being able to fly and not wanting to be eaten, gives off a scholarly air, which given his project for the duration of the book shows him as a remarkably unflappable creature. I loved the moment Bird discovers how to fly. I also love the big up for libraries when Max and Bird do their research. There is a rather touching message about the importance of friendship, but it's not too slushy, which is just the way I like my morality. Funny and charming. Great for children aged 3-6. Perfect for bed time sharing and a great addition to any school story corner. https://makingthemreaders.wordpress.com/2017/07/31/max-and-bird-by-ed-vere/

I read this book to my seven year old daughter. She's a harsher critic of books than I am. Max and Bird got five stars from her! She loved the illustrations. The story line was easy for her to follow and it was just silly enough to warrant some giggles from her. It also had a great, simple lesson on friendship. Friends don't eat friends! Max has definitely go onto the "We Need More" list. Looking forward to more Max books in the future!