Legend of the Veery Bird - Hardcover

Grade 2-4 In this original romantic legend, poor Veery not only stutters, he can't find the words to express himself or even to comfort his mother when "his father had an accident and died." Seeking refuge in the woods, he meets the fairy Keeper of the Forest who falls in love with the boy and gives him the gift of song so that he might sing what is in his heart. In exchange, he promises to sing only for her. He breaks his promise to sing for his mother on her deathbed. The Keeper then gives him the gift of flight, and he is taken away into the forest, with the shy Veery bird left in his place to sing its beautiful, sad song. Hague's unusually restrained forest and field landscapes are rendered in warm browns and oranges which contrast with the star-speckled night scenes. Because of the heavily outlined details of the forest and the indistinct fairy and human faces, the book is more suitable for individual rather than group use. Some may be confused by the text's reference to a "young man" while the pictures show Veery as an eight or nine year old. This literary and somber telling of the parentless and inarticulate boy who is taken away by the fairies is not so much grim as it is Andersen. Susan Hepler, formerly at Ohio State University, Columbus
Copyright 2002 Reed Business Information, Inc.