Little Leap Forward: A Boy in Beijing

Little Leap Forward is excited about the yellow bird his friend has caught for him. "I'm going to make a house for her in the courtyard, and give her grain to eat, and I'm going to write down the notes she sings and whistle them so she will answer me." Hoping to entice her to sing, he even learns to play the bamboo flute. Days pass, and the caged bird remains silent. Then the Red Guard arrives, imposing more restrictions to life in Beijing, and Little Leap Forward wonders if freedom will help his bird sing. Afterword. Full-color watercolor and mixed media illustrations.