How the Birds Changed Their Feathers (Blackie Folk Tales of the World) - Hardcover

Joanna Troughton

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0216900840 ISBN 13: 9780216900844

Publisher: Blackie Children's Books, 1976

Synopsis

A retelling of a South American Indian tale of how birds, all of which used to be white, came to have different colors.

About this title

From School Library Journal

ea. vol: illus. by author. unpaged. (Folk Tales of the World Series). CIP. Bedrick, dist. by Harper. 1986. PLB $10.95. PreS Up These two traditional folktales demonstrate the broad range of Troughton's talents as an illustrator and reteller of tales. The two unfamiliar tales are widely dissimilar in origin and tone, and yet the illustrator has found a style wonderfully suited for each. How the Birds Changed Their Feathers, a tale told by the Arawak people of Guyana, tells how the birds (who were once entirely white) became brightly colored. Utilizing a primitive style of illustration and a muted palette of watercolors, Troughton evokes the power of the early Indian tale. What Made Tiddalik Laugh is an Australian Aborigine tale of a giant frog named Tiddalik and what happens when he drinks all of the water on earth. In this case, the watercolors reflect the rustic earth tones of the Australian landscape. The text of both books is simple, straightforward, and serviceable, but not highly memorable. Denise A. Anton, Corn Belt Library System, Normal, Ill.
Copyright 1987 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Publishers Weekly

In explaining how the jungle birds became multihued, this South American folktale is itself colorful and vibrant. It was a runner-up for the Kate Greenaway Medal and is by the author/illustrator of other books in the Folk Tales of the World series. An Indian boy hunting birds one day finds a pile of colored stones. After stringing them together to hang around his neck, a transformation begins, and he turns into a fierce snake. Although his skin becomes beautifully colored, the change is somewhat grotesque. The Indian Chief wants the snake killed, and when a brave cormorant succeeds, he claims the skin as reward. The Indians also want it, but hundreds of the cormorant's friends provide aid by carrying the skin away in their beaks. Soon the bird's feathers turn bright and remain that way today. A nice addition to a folktale collection.
Copyright 1986 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Edition details

• Publisher: Blackie Children's Books
• Publication date: 1976
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 0216900840
• ISBN 13: 9780216900844
• Binding: Hardcover
• Number of pages: 32