The Rare Bird

by Elisha Cooper

Caldecott Honoree Elisha Cooper returns with a unique and playful tale about an imaginative house cat who dreams of all the wild things it can be.

The imagination of one housecat takes him to unexpected adventures as he dreams of spreading his wings as a "Rare Bird".

A Rare Bird can do anything!
Fly fast through the forest,
or splash in the bird baths,
or meet animals from faraway lands.....

Readers will fall head over heels for this extraordinary tale of dreaming, the power of imagination, and the freedom of creativity.

Genres: Picture Books, Cats, Animals, Childrens, Fiction, Storytime, Juvenile

40 pages, Hardcover

Published February 24, 2026

Reviews

[Krystal Kraft · Rating 4 out of 5]

This one was a sweet story about dreaming and power of imagination! My daughter chuckled a little bit wondering why it was a cat that was being called a bird, but toward the end we talked about it and she understood more and she thought it was a really neat book, as she put it! It almost felt peaceful in a way while reading it. The illustrations were done so lovely too!!

[Vincent Desjardins · Rating 5 out of 5]

This sweet book with its lovely watercolor illustrations gives us a glimpse into the interior life of a cat who has a boundless imagination, which appears to be fueled by the picture books inside the home where he lives. In the opening spread, we see the cat studying pictures of a bird in books strewn across the floor. From there he takes flight into a fantasy world where he is flying through a forest (his owner's living room), taking a dip in a pond (his owner's toilet), sitting on a rock (the family's dog), and neatening his nest (an ordinary cardboard box). While the author/illustrator illustrates a cat appearing to be at ordinary play, the text conveys to us what the cat is imagining. It's not until the cat falls asleep and has a dream that the cat is illustrated as an actual bird, flying in the wild and sleeping in a real nest with other birds. A delightful book about the power of imagination and its ability to transform us into whatever we might wish to be and wherever we would like to go.

[Terresa Wellborn · Rating 2 out of 5]

Caldecott Honor Winner Elisha Cooper invites us into the magical world of a white cat named (confusingly) "Rare Bird."

Cute concept but as a children's librarian, I'm a bit frustrated. Many of Rare Bird's adventures were captured in very small images, one after another. Based on the illustrations, this book lends itself more to a lapsit than a large storytime crowd.

My wish is that this book would've been simplified and focused on less adventures, with one page illustration of each of Rare Bird's fun imaginative experience. Littles (toddler, preK) won't easily grasp that the "Rare Bird" is actually a cat who imagines adventures as a bird. Perhaps rename the book entirely -- it was just confusing, YMMV. Nice illustrations though, and better for early elementary kiddos than littles.

Themes: cats, birds
Ages: 1st-2nd grade
Pub year: 2026

[Lisa Wiertel · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Rare Bird written and illustrated by Elisha Cooper (ages 3-6)
ISBN: 9781250364395
My book recommendation for this month features a new release by one of my favorite contemporary children’s authors/illustrators: Elisha Cooper. With an artistic style I would describe as simple, expressive, and colorful, Cooper has again given us another cat book to follow up on his 2018 Caldecott award-winning, Big Cat, Little Cat. In The Rare Bird, a cat imagines that he is a bird and goes about his day pretending to be a bird in Cooper’s playful illustrations. The cat falls asleep and starts to dream that he is a real bird and soars through the skies. The story concludes with a child reading to the cat about other animals, strengthening their bond and sparking the cat’s imagination with new ideas.

[Victoria Sanchez · Rating 5 out of 5]

The words that come to mind are "sweetly astonishing".
I bow down to Elisha Cooper's boundless creativity and his ability to capture movement, imagination, and contentment in a single picture book.
(a secret: I don't even like cats that much!)

*Kidlit folk: read this book through, then read the text only, and then read it as if it were wordless. How do you think this book might have been different if it were created by an author/illustrator pairing rather than an author-illustrator (especially if the author is mid-list and, as normally happens, has no say-so over illustrator choice or communication)?*

[Roben · Rating 4 out of 5]

What a delightful book! Drawing on information from books that her young owner has read to her, our cat spends the day imagining that she is a bird! She does all of her normal, useful cat things but in her mind, she is a bird. At the end of the day, her favorite person reads a different book to her -- this one filled with jungle animals. So our imaginative cat goes to bed, dreaming of how tomorrow will be as an elephant!

A grand celebration of imagination. Be sure to peek under the dust jacket - the cover of the book is different.

[Becky · Rating 3 out of 5]

First sentence: The Rare Bird flew through the forest, flying so fast he knocked the leaves off the trees.

Premise/plot: The Rare Bird is a quirky little picture book starring a cat with a vivid imagination.

My thoughts: This cat has SOME imagination. The whole book--except the last few pages--is written as if the book was about, you know, an actual actual bird. But it this CAT living his normal cat life but imagining a whole other world, whole other life. He never leaves the house but he's flying across the world and seeing it all.

I liked this one. It was quirky and whimsical.

[Mizzy Mint · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a very cute short and sweet book. The art style feels like a calligraphy or ink brush painted each illustration that makes everything so unique. The story is about a cat who plays pretend first as a bird and ends planning to be an elephant the following day. It's very subtly colored and has minimal text on most pages. I really enjoy how in the cat's imagination as a bird and an elephant the elephant is colored the same as the cats fur. It's very cute and a fun little read.

[Shanna · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was so fun to read! The cat imagines himself as a bird, flying through the forest, eating “bugs” that are toys, jumping in ravines (the toilet) and of course, finding “worms” (a dog’s tail and a belt from a robe). The illustrations really are what give it that extra pizazz for me. I love their dream-like quality and the fun, whimsical way they are presented.

Mia’s 3rd Year of Books: Day 17

#FirsttoCheckOut

[Alicia · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a beautiful mix of levity and artistic beauty- a cat who thinks they're a bird and turns into all of these morphed versions in a dream-like but very realistic-to-them version of who they could be.

It's stunning to look at and action-packed to follow the movement that is fluid. Plus Cooper is an amazing human being and meeting the real version of the inspiration for the picture book is entertaining.

[Melanie Hetrick · Rating 5 out of 5]

This story begins with a cat, ahem, excuse me, a rare bird, reading about flying about. The bird decides to flit through his space, exploring the space. Later in the evening, while listening to stories of jungle animals, the rare bird decides he's an elephant.

What child has not pretended to be something or someone else? Recommended for storytime.

[Peacegal · Rating 4 out of 5]

What child doesn't love to imagine being a different sort of animal? Well, here is a cat who does the same. "The Rare Bird" plays throughout his apartment, imagining himself as a bird exploring the wide world.

This book brought to mind the wonderful Nicola Bailey "Copycat" books of my own childhood. https://www.goodreads.com/series/2884...

[Laura Roettiger · Rating 5 out of 5]

I'm a big fan of Elisha Cooper books. He's got a disarming simplicity that is difficult to pull off and hard to describe. The Rare Bird requires the reader to be paying full attention to what's happening to understand the story and appreciate the payoff. That's all I'll say except it is definitely meant to be enjoyed and shared with a friend. But isn't everything better that way?

[Tina Hoggatt · Rating 4 out of 5]

Who knows the mind of a cat? I guess Elisha Cooper does. A cat imagines him/herself a bird and does many bird things in their apartment home which are also cat things. It shouldn't work but it does, and charmingly. Loose, winsome illustrations by the author depict the action, rest, and dreaming throughout. Awfully sweet.

[Liz Todd · Rating 3 out of 5]

I got to hear Elisha Cooper share about how this book came about on The Yarn Podcast. I am so glad I heard what he had to say and then read the book--made it all the more fun. It kind of reminds me of The Snail's Spell by Joanne Ryder. It would be fun to read aloud and let kids draw what they think is happening before revealing Elisha's idea.

[Binxie · Rating 4 out of 5]

This rare bird is a curious, playful cat, illustrated in watercolors. IT is fun to go through the day of an indoor cat being a bird. Familiar items become mountains, rocks, and trees. The dream sequence is wordless, and the ending has a twist, leaving room for kids to expand the story.

[Ann Haefele · Rating 4 out of 5]

Beautifully written and illustrated gentle story about a cat imagining he is a bird. My only wish is the illustrations were a bit larger for using with a group of children. But as a lap sit book the watercolor illustrations work well.

[Nichole · Rating 4 out of 5]

I received this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

This book has Cooper's classic and beautiful illustrations with a darling cat who imagines being other animals each day. A lovely idea! So cute and sweet!

[LinLin · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great to show kids the infinite imagination someone can have through the eyes of a cat that imagines to be a bird one day and an elephant another… Blue dominance in the illustrations gives a calming feeling while reading through the pages.

[Dawn Foster · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a fun book to read with a little one!!! So many wonderful, dreamy illustrations that will spur a lively discussion of imagination, make-believe, and more. And a curious cat that somehow thinks it's a bird!

[Andrew · Rating 4 out of 5]

After a cat reads a book about birds, he spends the day re-enacting the life of a bird-- in his own feline fashion, of course. Soft illustrations that feel like a dream.

[Catherine · Rating 5 out of 5]

Imaginative & visually pleasing, a delight to read.

[E · Rating 5 out of 5]

Sweet, imaginative, and absolutely adorable. Cooper knows cats.

[Diana · Rating 4 out of 5]

A fun way to encourage kids to use their imaginations.

[Mama Bearian · Rating 3 out of 5]

I liked it a lot, but I don’t think my kids “got” it.

[Hannah · Rating 5 out of 5]

lovely, one i want to buy for my home library.

[Carol · Rating 5 out of 5]

A delightful flight of fancy into the world of an indoor cat. I was smitten.

[Zan Porter · Rating 4 out of 5]

"The imagination of one housecat takes him to unexpected adventures as he dreams of spreading his wings as a "Rare Bird""-- Provided by publisher.
Target Audience Note:

[Caroline · Rating 4 out of 5]

I do love Elisha Cooper. This was a sweet and imaginative story.

[Kelly]

I thought the dreaming part was good and the rest was dumb.