Are You My Mother?

A newly hatched baby bird finds his nest empty — his mother has flown off to find food — and sets out to search for her, not knowing what she looks like.

Along the way he asks a kitten, a hen, a dog, a cow, a car, a boat, and a plane the same question, "Are you my mother?", before an enormous steam shovel named Snort lifts him back into his nest, where his mother is waiting.

Written and illustrated by P. D. Eastman, this 1960 Beginner Books classic (a series co-founded and edited by Dr. Seuss) remains one of the best-loved early readers for its simple vocabulary and its story of a child's determined search for home.