Bill Bowerbird and the Unbearable Beak-Ache

Bill has a terrible, unbearable, lousy beak-ache. He also happens to be a bowerbird: a type of bird that collects scraps to create elaborate color-sorted nests. So Bill turns to his friends the zebra, frog, yak, and others for objects that might help alleviate his ache. Nothing works. But as it turns out, the pain is from a new tooth! The ache goes away on its own.

This fun, wacky story about teething is told in playful cadence with rhyme and refrain. Artwork is deliberately childlike, stylized in bold, energetic colors just like a bowerbird’s eccentric nest design. A riot to read, this story also offers some wisdom on getting through tough times: patience, and a little help from your friends.

LEVELING
Grade Range: Pre-K–3
Fountas & Pinnell: K
Reading Recovery: 18
Lexile: AD 890L

COMMON CORE
L.2.1,1e,2,2c,2d,3,4,4a,4b,4c
W.2.1,2,3,5,6,8
SL.2.1,1b,1c,2,3,4,5,6
L.2.4d,5,5a,5b,6
RL.2.1,2,3,4,5,6,7,10
RF.2.3,3b,3c,3d,3e,4,4a,4b,4b

Tyler Clark Burke is a writer, illustrator, designer, and freelance brainstormer. She co-founded the internationally acclaimed record label Three Gut Records (with The Constantines, Jim Guthrie, and Oneida), then sold her part to make art. Tyler has worked as a creative director and art director, has won numerous awards for her cover designs, and her art has been shown and collected internationally. Bill Bowerbird and the Unbearable Beak-Ache is Tyler’s first picture book. She lives in Toronto, Ontario with her husband and two children.