Leo Lionni

There's a message and kind of a moral here that both break down due to presentation in an anthropomorphic universe. You start wondering why exactly the birds are eating something as intelligent as they are, and whether that wouldn't be cruel, and you get into questions that you really weren't planning to get into while reading your toddler a board book.

The nice things that he does for other people reward him by changing his outward appearance to a form that others will accept. It's so bizarre. It's like he has to earn the ability to fit in. It's difficult to tell whether it's saying that fitting in is good or not. It's hard to understand this book.

It's got a very clear message of "the grass is always greener on the other side". Leo Lionni's illustrations made of collages and patterns are really nice to look at, but the story isn't really very interesting or better than books like The Velveteen Rabbit.