The Parrot and the Merchant

A tale of a merchant who kept a parrot in a cage, and inadvertently brought the parrot advice on how to free itself. "Mah Jahan was surprised to find that she was happy to lose her parrot to freedom. That is because I truly do love that parrot, she thought." Beautiful, unusual illustrations float on a white background that gives the eye plenty of space to relax and absorb the story and pictures. The caravan page, where the reader can see what each camel carries, is particularly good.

Translated from the author/illustrator's original Persian. Back matter includes "About the book" and "about the author and illustrator." The latter note reveals that the author made the merchant in the story be a woman instead of a man, as in the original.

I’m not exactly sure how I feel about this book. The illustrations are so unusual, especially in a children’s book. The story is sad. It's a centuries old fable retold for today's generation. A parrot is captured and taken to another land. When its captor asks if it wants anything from its homeland, it requests messages of help from his parrot family. All the parrot wants is to be free. It eventually gets free, and the woman who captured him is happy because of love, but … there is just something that turns me off.