Jane's Reviews > Canary in the Coal Mine

I love birds, so when my library received an advance reader’s copy of Canary in the Coal Mine I took it to read and review.

I’m not sure whether the opening will grab the 8-12 year-old kids the book is intended for. It’s pretty grim, describing life in the coal mines for canaries and miners, and the friends and family the main character canary Bitty has lost to the mines. The best part of the book is the middle, when Bitty heads to the state capital to try to do something about mining conditions for miners and canaries. He meets other bird species and learns to speak a few words in “foreign” languages like cat and mouse.

The personification of the birds aside, the book is not very factual about birds. For example, it would not be a good idea to free pet birds and let them go live in the wild.

But Bitty is an admirable main character, the narrative does contain some light humor, and the plot moves along. I don’t think this is destined to become a classic, but the right child might enjoy it.