- Comedy
- Bird & Squirrel collection
- Ages 6–9
Bird & Squirrel
Part of the collectionBird & Squirrel→Best for early graphic novel readers who like chase scenes, animal comedy, anxious-versus-bold friendship dynamics and lots of visual momentum.
- Books7 / 7
- Arcs2
- Span2012–2019
- StatusComplete
The series
At a glance.
Bird & Squirrel is a seven-book graphic novel series by James Burks. The central joke is simple and durable: Bird charges towards life as if every crisis is an invitation, while Squirrel spots every possible danger and is usually not wrong. Across forests, ice, mountains, homecomings and group adventures, the books build a lively friendship comedy around anxiety, bravery and trust. The artwork is bold and readable, with exaggerated expressions and clear action, making it a strong early graphic-novel choice. The books have enough peril to feel exciting, but it is comic peril rather than genuinely frightening threat.
Best for early graphic novel readers who like chase scenes, animal comedy, anxious-versus-bold friendship dynamics and lots of visual momentum.
Publication order is recommended because the friendship and homecoming threads build, though individual adventures are easy to follow on their own.
Two arcs
A series that changes as it goes.
- INarrative arcBooks 1–3 · 2012–2015Low sensitivity
The anxious road trip
Bird and Squirrel become a comic travelling pair through forests, ice and mountains.
The opening arc establishes the whole engine of the series. Bird is reckless, buoyant and certain everything will be fine; Squirrel is fearful, cautious and often correct to worry. The first three books send them through a chase, the South Pole and a mountain adventure, giving readers immediate action while gradually letting Squirrel's courage matter. This is the strongest entry stretch for new readers because the character dynamic is clear from the first pages and the panels do a lot of the work. The danger is active but comic: cats, whales and wolves create excitement without pushing the series beyond a low-sensitivity envelope.
- IINarrative arcBooks 4–7 · 2016–2019Low sensitivity
Home, friends and bigger scrapes
The later books bring the duo home, widen the cast and lean further into teamwork.
The later arc keeps the same fast comic style but becomes a little more settled and socially wider. On Fire brings Bird and Squirrel back towards home and community; All Tangled Up and All or Nothing add more elaborate scrapes; All Together gives the friendship a broader group feeling. The emotional progression is still light, but it matters: Squirrel is not simply 'the scared one' forever, and Bird's confidence works best when it becomes part of a team rather than pure impulsiveness. These books remain very friendly to reluctant readers, with bright action and low prose load, but reward children who have followed the relationship from the start.
Fit check
Right for your reader?
Where the series lands by age
- 1
- 3
- 5
- 7
- 9
- 11
- 13
- 15
- 17
- 19
- Best fit · 6–9
- Read aloud · 5–8
- Independent · 6–9
Reluctant-reader friendliness
Very high
Read-aloud quality
Workable
Adult crossover
Low
Grows with the reader
Designed to
Sensitivity envelope
Low overall, and consistent.
Per-arc breakdown
Where it sits
In conversation with other series.
Similar in feel
Different shelves, same wavelength.
Read this after…
Series that pick up where Bird & Squirrel leaves off.
About the author