By: Sarah Summer
The birds are back, and this time one of them is missing.
The Five Birds and the Missing Macaw, the newest release from composer, illustrator, and author Jeff Cortazzo, continues the Five Birds Adventures series and offers families a unique holiday gift option.
For readers ages 5 to 10, this is not an ordinary picture book. Like the first book in the series, The Five Birds and the Cat Queen, the new title combines rhyming verse, colorful illustrations, and a professionally produced classical music soundtrack.
A Mystery in the Canopy
In the new story, the hyacinth macaw disappears, leaving his four companions to wonder if he has been bird-napped or lost. Their journey to find him is told in four-line rhyming stanzas, with 34 full-color illustrations across 76 pages.
As with the first book, the story concludes with a moral lesson, a defining feature of the series. But this lesson is woven into an adventure story. Teachers, parents, and other caregivers can extract and discuss these concepts.
Story Meets Symphony
What sets the Five Birds Adventures apart is the integration of music. For The Five Birds and the Missing Macaw, Cortazzo composed an original score that was performed by a symphony orchestra. The book comes with two recordings. In one, the author narrates the text with finger snaps signaling when to turn the page. In the other, the narration is removed, leaving the score and page-turn cues so that children can read aloud on their own.
This format has been noted by parents and educators as an engaging way to keep young readers involved while introducing them to orchestral music. It can also help acquaint children with new vocabulary words, complete with pronunciation!
The First Adventure
The series began with The Five Birds and the Cat Queen, a story that unfolds after five birds, caught in a storm, meet a feline queen who judges a contest of beauty. That title included 29 full-color illustrations across 66 pages and came with a soundtrack composed by Cortazzo and performed by a professional wind quintet.
Reviews for the first book have praised both the concept and the execution. The Online Book Club awarded it five out of five stars, describing the illustrations as “stunning, bold, and vibrant.” Reedsy highlighted the pairing of book and music, calling it “especially delightful” when read with the accompanying recording. Amazon reviewers have commented on the vivid artwork, the accessibility of the rhyming text, and the originality of pairing narration with classical music.
With the second release now available, families have the option to enjoy both titles together. A discounted two-book set is offered directly from the publisher at FiveBirdsAdventures.com.
About the Author
Jeff Cortazzo earned his Doctor of Musical Arts degree in Music Composition from The Catholic University of America. Over the past two decades, his compositions have included works for trombone quartet, brass quintet, wind quintet, orchestra, and chorus.
From 1992 until his retirement in 2018, Cortazzo served as bass trombonist of The Army Blues, a component of The U.S. Army Band, Pershing’s Own, in Washington D.C. Since then, he has continued to perform with ensembles including The National Philharmonic, The Smithsonian Jazz Masterworks Orchestra, The Capitol Bones, and The Washington Symphonic Brass. He also teaches bass trombone at The Catholic University of America and The Shenandoah Conservatory.
Visual art has been a parallel thread in his life. Cortazzo published a daily internet cartoon called Not Quite Right between 1999 and 2003, and his illustrations have appeared in pamphlets, textbooks, and cookbooks.
The Five Birds Adventures brings these two strands together, combining music and illustration in a format designed to capture the imagination of children and encourage family reading.
Reception and Reach
The Five Birds and the Cat Queen has received consistent praise from readers and review platforms. The Online Book Club described it as “a wonderful achievement.” Reedsy emphasized the value of the soundtrack, noting that it enhances the experience. Amazon reviews have highlighted the bright colors and interactive format, with one reviewer writing, “This is such a wonderful way of introducing classical music to kids.”
The sequel builds on that foundation with a larger scale and the addition of a symphony orchestra soundtrack. Parents and grandparents who appreciated the first installment now have a second title to add to their collection.
Holiday Appeal
For families seeking gifts that go beyond toys and electronics, the Five Birds Adventures series offers something different. Each book is a picture book, an illustrated story, and a musical performance, all in one package. Children can listen, follow along, or read aloud with music, making the books flexible for different ages and reading levels.
With The Five Birds and the Missing Macaw now available, and with a discounted two-book set offered by the publisher, the series arrives just in time for holiday gift lists.
Though the books are available on Amazon, when purchases are made on the Five Birds Adventures site, buyers will have the option to get an author signature and a dedication on their copy, a deeply personal touch.
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