Bird by Zetta Elliott

Illustrated ty Shadra Strickland.
A powerful picture book about sibling relationships, addiction, and loss. Bird, a young African American boy, is nicknamed by his grandad who recently passed away. He adores his older brother who becomes a drug addict and is banned from their house after stealing from the family. Bird struggles with his brother's eventual death but finds comfort through his art work and the help of his grandfather's friend, Uncle Son. The tale is a sad one but the ending is optimisitic. Uncle Son talks about the death of Marcus, Bird's brother, and compares it to when slaves died, "...when the body broke, the spirit went free..." I would use this with grades 3 and up due to the subject matter. It would be especially helpful for children who face addiction issues in their homes.