A Tale of Two Rice Birds: A Folktale from Thailand

Meeker, Claire. A Tale of Two Rice Birds. (1994). Seattle: Sasquatch Books.

A father rice bird foolishly stay near the lotus blossoms eating their nectar too long and he is trapped inside when the petals close while the sun is out, he can’t save his children who die when their home tree catches fire and burns their nest. When he returns, his wife is so angry with him that she kills herself, hoping that when she comes back, she will be human and so she can never speak to another man again. The father asks the gods to bring him back near her also as a human and to let them love each other again, and he also kills himself. They both come as humans; she is a princess and he is a framer who lives nearby. Her father is concerned that she show more never speaks to men and arranges with suitors that if any man can get her to speak, he may marry her. Several suitors fail, but the farmer, who has fallen in love with her successfully tricks her into speaking. She is charmed by him. They marry and their love grows, and they adopt the lotus blossom as a symbol of their love, which blooms over and over.

This is a charming story that older elementary students will enjoy. What is unique and shocking, really, is the argument and suicides of the bird father and mother so earlier in the story. This is as unexpected as the clever trick the farmer later uses to trick the princess into speaking. This is a touching story with string, vibrant illustrations that bring out the color in the story. show less