This is a great book for kids and the story is wonderful! I think kids of all ages will really love this book.

'Chickadee: Criminal Mastermind' by Monica Silvie with illustrations by Elina Ellis is a picture book about a thieving bird who is getting away with no actual crime.

Little Chickadee obeys his parents about avoiding houses until winter arrives. Then he discovers treasure in a bird feeder and starts plundering it. He feels pretty sneaky until he realizes the people are actually ok with this bandit taking food.

This was a really cute story and has really fun illustrations too. At the end of the book are some fun facts about chickadees.

I have a fondness for chickadees so I was pleased to read this one. I like to see a book that dances back and forth across the line between story book and fact books. It's a great way to teach very young kids facts about animals, especially when accompanied by charming illustrations.

This was such a fun picture book that my granddaughter loved. She learned about chickadees at school this year, so she loved this criminal mastermind. Chickadee narrates his own story about leaving the nest and living on his own. When winter arrives, he is in trouble. His mother had warned him to stay away from the houses and the humans, but he finds a vault full of food. The vault (aka birdfeeder) is to tempting to resist, so he becomes a criminal to sneak in and eat. He soon discovers that he is not a criminal after all and the food is there for the taking. The illustrations are wonderful and certainly added to her enjoyment of the story. There were a lot of other animals depicted that we talked about as well. She thought it was a fun story and one that we should read again. The back of the book includes some great chickadee facts and beautiful, colorful images. Another book that I recommend, especially to kindergarten or early primary classes when doing a unit on animals and winter, as well as how we can help them.

Chickadee: Criminal Mastermind is a delightful and immensely funny book by Monica Silvie! Chickadee: Criminal Mastermind tells the story of Chickadee, a Blackcapped Chickadee Bird. Chickadee learns from his parents never to steal food from houses when looking for food. When Chickadee sets out to live on his own, he can only find food in small houses. When Chickadee starts getting food from the small houses, he believes he is a criminal. Chickadee notices that humans come to visit him while he is stealing the food—and they seem happy! Chickadee then starts to question his life of crime.

Chickadee: Criminal Mastermind is a lighthearted, funny book that came along at the right time for me. I really enjoyed Monica Silvie’s writing and learning about an animal that I was unfamiliar with. I love how I was laughing through 90% of Chickadee: Criminal Mastermind! I love how beautifully illustrated Chickadee: Criminal Mastermind is and how all of the illustrations are spot on and match perfectly with the writing. I enjoyed the information and resources about the Blackcapped Chickadee Bird that is included in the back of the book. I think Chickadee: Criminal Mastermind would be perfect for a young classroom setting, especially if you are learning about animals. I also believe Chickadee: Criminal Mastermind is great for any type of story time setting. If you are looking for a lighthearted, funny, yet informative read for you and the kiddos in your life, then I highly recommend Chickadee: Criminal Mastermind by Monica Silvie!

Have you read Chickadee: Criminal Mastermind by Monica Silvie? What did the kids in your life think of the book?

I would like to thank NetGalley and the Publisher for the opportunity to read this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

My review is also on Goodreads and my blog, Leslie's Library Escape.

*received for free from netgalley for honest review* This was such a great book! lmfao just hilarious, loved the idea and the artwork!

This is brilliant!! Hiding the facts about chickadee in the form of story book!! At first I thought this was one fable about the bird, but actually a wonderfully illustrated facts of the birds disguised in a story book!! Great idea, and I will wait for next books about animals.

This is an amusing tale about a chickadee who convinces himself that he’s a very sneaky bandit by stealing birdseed from a bird feeder, but then finds out the food has been put there for him all along. I love how expressive the chickadee is, he really brings the illustrations to life! The last few pages include many interesting facts about chickadees, including several that I had not heard before such as chickadees keep a stash of seed in various locations and can remember each place during the winter because their brain cells increase during that season, and then shrinks back down in the summer. I also did not know that they eat roadkill! Highly recommended for kids of all ages and every bird lover!

Many thanks to Kids Can Press and Net Galley for this digital ARC in exchange for my honest review.

This is so cute! Not only is it a fun science lesson about chickadees, but it also has a nice message about how we see ourselves. Chickadee has the idea he's "bad" but he may need a new perspective. Additionally, there is lots of expressive language that will build vocabularies and help kids develop their storytelling skills.

The art is adorable and interprets the story well. Kids will enjoy following the action and identifying all the different animals. This would be a good circle-time read, but would also do well as a one-on-one read to prompt discussion or learning about backyard birds. This would be a lovely addition to school and classroom libraries!

Many thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review!

The artwork is cute and the story is sweet. A little masked chickadee thinks he is a criminal. Through, his expert planning he reveals his plot (as all criminal masterminds are wont to do) and discovers he maybe is not so bad after all.

Chickadee explains why he is the criminal in this amusing picture book, illustrated with full color earth tone cartoon-like digital artwork that resembles collage and drawings. Chickadee lives in a forest near a town and claims to steal from nearby bird feeders until he discovers that is what the feeders are for. The story ends on a cliffhanger, implying a sequel may be forthcoming. The book ends with facts on the black-capped chickadee and sources. A fun read-aloud that would pair well with a bird feeder activity.

This was a cute story, with darling illustrations. My favorite was actually in the back with the bonus information: a "scientific" illustration of how smart chickadees are in the winter vs. summer. The story was sweet as well, though it features a bird that is not native to my part of the world. If I lived in where black-capped chickadees did, I'd order this for my library's collection. If my budget wasn't stretched, I might have ordered it anyways!

Super hilarious children story!!! A young chickadee always think he is a bad seed and super smart bandit with mask. The storyline is simple but interesting one. The illustration is gorgeous and i really like it. A little plot twist is perfect ending for a Chickadee bird life. My kid will love this kind story to learn about bird and self appreciation.

Thanks Netgalley for providing me this cute book.

This is one of my favorite children's books of the year. I love how the little chickadee thinks he is being a criminal mastermind when in reality we as the readers know that he is simply being fed. It was sweet, funny and a wonderful read.

I liked the message of this book. It was fun how they included information on chickadees. We have chickadees all around our house due to the trees in our yard. The big words might take a child out of the story for a bit but that would be my only complaint.

Chickadee: Criminal Mastermind was a joy to read. The plot line was quite entertaining and the illustrations were beautiful and vibrant. My young readers and I also enjoyed the facts at the end of the book where we learned a lot more about the chickadee. After having read this silly yet educational story, we can't wait to spot a chickadee in our own neighborhood.

I received an arc of this title from NetGalley for an honest review. Have a case you can't solve? Chickadee to the rescue.

This review is for an unexpected audience. I volunteer in a dementia/memory care unit reading children’s picture books to residents. They have a bird feeder outside the community room and chickadees come often. This clever book told from a chickadee’s point of view was well received. I project the book onto a TV screen via the Kindle app and the art work was especially appreciated as the pictures were clear and easily seen by elderly eyes.

I received this arc in exchange for my honest review.

This book was so funny! It follows the chickadee from hatching to a life of crime, including stealing gold from a vault, which happens to be seed from a feeder. I can't wait to add this to our rotation of books!

Thank you NetGalley @netgalley and Kids Can Press @kidscanpress for the digital ARC in exchange for an honest review!

I adore this book and will be recommending it for our local indie bookstore!

Chickadee is an unwittingly hilarious bird who shares his story about becoming a "criminal mastermind" and his methods for "stealing gold" from his target: a birdfeeder. The illustrations are charming and I especially loved the use of sequential images and comic elements for visual storytelling and to heighten the pacing and humor. Beautifully cohesive and expressive artwork. Plus, readers and educators will enjoy the chickadee facts and additional resources included at the end of the book.

Highly recommend, excited to purchase this book!