Free

A celebration of thinking outside the box--or cage!

The Great Bird Circus is headed to a big show, but they run into trouble when they reach the border. Paloma and the ringmaster are allowed to cross--but their birds need paperwork, and lots of it! The situation seems hopeless, unless ... what if there's more than one way to get across?

With Paloma's quick and creative thinking, she's able to outwit the bureaucracy and come up with a solution: they free the birds from their cages, and while Paloma and the ringmaster drive across the border in their truck, the birds fly overhead! When the circus is reunited on the other side, Paloma suggests the birds don't need cages--they can fly free.

Minimal text, light humor, and loose illustrations work together to express big ideas simply in this uplifting story that prizes problem-solving and creative thinking.

BARROUX lives in Paris, France, and has studied photography, art, sculpture, and architecture. He is well known for his own children's books, as well as for the many books he has illustrated (more than 100!), including Sometimes a Wall. Barroux believes that the world needs fewer borders and more birds, fewer politicians and more poets.