The Song of Six Birds - Hardcover

Deetlefs, Rene

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0525463143 ISBN 13: 9780525463146

Publisher: Dutton Juvenile, 1999

Synopsis

Wishing to make beautiful music with the flute that was given to her by her mother, young Lindiwe captures the songs of six different birds in her flute and shares the irresistible tune with the people of her African village.

About this title

About the Author

Rene Deetlefs lives in South Africa.

Reviews

Grade 1-3-Lindiwe has a new flute that makes a dreadful noise when she blows into it. As she journeys through the South African countryside looking for music, she meets different people and six birds that share their sounds with her. The repetitive nature of the story and the language used create a natural pace for reading aloud. Children will enjoy imitating the rhythmic birdcalls as the narrative carries them along to a happy celebration when Lindiwe's music calls the others to dance and sing through the night. Gilbert's flat, folk-art illustrations are reminiscent of South African designs and perfectly complement the text. The black outlined images of Lindiwe and the other villagers dressed in bright reds and oranges are set off by background colors of green and brown. The vivid illustrations capture the child's supportive community and the typical activities in her small village. A charming story for group reading.
Tali Balas, Ethnical Culture Fieldstone School, New York City
Copyright 2000 Reed Business Information, Inc.

The South African team paired for Tabu and the Dancing Elephants here presents a sliver of a story centering on a girl "in search of music for her flute." Strolling through her African village, Lindiwe asks six birds--a crowned crane, hornbill, rainbird, hoopoe, Paradise flycatcher and wood owl--to "share" their sounds with her. When each obliges, its signature call (reproduced phonetically, e.g., "Whoo-hu... whoo-hu-hu") enters her instrument. As the winged creatures follow her home, the child plays her flute and the birds "all made music while she ran." Oddly, while readers see speech balloons of the birds' utterances entering the flute, no pictorial representation of the sounds reappears even though the text claims that "the air was filled the music of Lindiwe's flute--and the song of six birds." Gilbert's unadorned, brightly hued pictures portray Lindiwe's fellow villagers as an obviously appreciative audience, but the narrative fails to foster a similar enthusiasm in readers. Ages 3-9. (Dec.)
Copyright 1999 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Deetlefs (Tabu and the Dancing Elephants, 1995, etc.) pleasingly blends equal measure of cultural geography, a field guide to the birds of Africa, and the fancies of a young girl filling her flute with song. Lindiwe rises one morning in her African village to find a flute next to her bed, a gift from her mother. Eager to make it sing, she gives it a terrific blow and a dreadful noise comes out. It's clearly time for fine tuning; she roams the countryside to gather music. A crowned crane gives her a ``mahem mahem,'' and a hornbill contributes its ``tock tocki tock.'' The rainbird, the hoopoe, the paradise flycatcher, and the wood owl all tuck their calls into the flute, which subsequently powers an evening of spontaneous dance and revelry. As Lindiwe hunts her music, she encounters various members of her communityweavers, shepherd, medicine manwhich imparts to readers a vivid sense of everyday life in the village. Gilbert takes pains to illustrate that aspect of the book in closely observed landscapes and village scenes. A merry, heartening tale. (Picture book. 3-9) -- Copyright ©1999, Kirkus Associates, LP. All rights reserved.

Edition details

• Publisher: Dutton Juvenile
• Publication date: 1999
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 0525463143
• ISBN 13: 9780525463146
• Binding: Hardcover
• Illustrator: Gilbert Lyn
• Number of pages: 32