The Language of Birds

When I picked this up based on the cover I thought it was going to be some sort of allegorical playful Harlequin story. Instead it's a graceful adaptation of a classic Russian tale that I've seen several times before. Martin does a good job of capturing all the themes, clarifying and distilling the essence without over-explaining, and not including any chaff. And Gaber's illustrations are lovely & dramatic.

This book has several layers of lessons for children, from the power of kindness and honesty to listening to your parents. The illustrations are rich and full of color and movement, while having the style of artwork created long ago and aged over time.

Summary: A Russian folktale about two brothers let out into the world to prove themselves. One is selfish and the other giving. The giving brother helps a baby bird and is given a wish by the bird's mother to which he wants to speak the language of the birds. He ultimately saves his brother's life because of this gift.
Review: A great read and history of Russian folktales. Could be used in many different ways in a classroom with older children.