Hardcover trade picture book, ages 4-9. The backstory:In a unique collaboration, award-winning children's book author and digital artist Barbara Jean Hicks selected a stable of human-like animal characters from the paintings of beloved folk artist RR "Fishboy" Clark and devised a story inspired by them. Photographing the art to create digital files, Hicks then manipulated the characters, placing them together in a series of scenarios to create a narrative highlighting what happens when people make up their minds about others based on stereotypes rather than spending time getting to know them on a personal basis.The story: Who can blame a hungry cat for wherever his cravings lead him? Cat is a cat, and cats eat birds. A fact's a fact. Little Bird knows it. Everyone knows it. You just can't trust a cat -- except to be a cat. What everyone forgets to ask themselves as they get in the way of Cat's search for Little Bird is what might possibly happen if they decided to put aside the "facts" they think they know about cats to actually LISTEN to what this particular cat has to say. All ends well when Squirrel finally lets Cat finish a sentence instead of cutting him off, and Little Bird understands that far from wanting to eat him, Cat is simply craving ice cream and wants to share it with a friend. "An ice cream picnic is fun," he tells Little Bird. "But here's a whole wide world of fun out there, just waiting. I'd like to look for it with you. What do you think?" To which Little Bird responds: "I think that you, Cat, are a very good friend. Let's eat our ice cream. And then let's GO!"A fun read-aloud for parents, the conversational style and simple language of Looking for Little Bird also allows beginning readers to share in the experience of bringing the quirky characters to life.