The illustrations are classic De Paola, and the environmentalist message is certainly as relevant now as it was when it was originally published in 1975, but it’s an odd little story.  Never once is any reference made to explain why Michael is a Bird-Boy, who wakes up every morning and puts on a bird suit.  And when he complains to the boss-lady about all the smoke her factory is producing, she had simply never considered where she could get real bees, and presto-chango everything is better.  I don’t think DePaola’s illustrations are enough to carry it.  I think there’s a reason why this one hadn’t surfaced with all his other classics in the last forty years.