Aria - Hardcover

Elbling, Peter

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0670850624 ISBN 13: 9780670850624

Publisher: Viking Juvenile, 1994

Synopsis

A young girl who is different from all the other people in her village discovers that she possesses a special ability to communicate with the birds that live near her jungle home.

About this title

From School Library Journal:

Kindergarten-Grade 3?Young Aria is taunted by the children in her village because she cannot speak, and so she runs away to the jungle where she survives by eating what the birds eat and sheltering where they shelter. She weaves herself a lovely cape from their fallen feathers and warns them of danger whenever hunters approach. When the birdsellers gang up to attack Aria, her friends surround her, lift her billowing feathered cloak, and sweep her to safety high above the trees. Elbling's message-laden story has a simple plot without closure that celebrates the beauty of jungle birds and bemoans their harvesting for the marketplace. Williams's paintings are lovely and soft, full of misty greens and brightly colored creatures. The book features parchment-textured pages, framed pictures, and brief blocks of text. The story itself is not satisfying, except as a springboard for a discussion of ecology, birds, or South and Central America, but the illustrations and design are worth a leisurely inspection and lingering appreciation.?Shirley Wilton, Ocean County College, Toms River, NJ
Copyright 1995 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Publishers Weekly:

A comedy performer and screenwriter, Elbling makes his children's-book debut with this tale about a girl who spends her days playing in the jungle. Though unable to speak, Aria can imitate the sounds of parrots, macaws, toucans and other birds. Horrified when two birdsellers follow her into the jungle and make off with a stunning red cardinal, Aria leaves her village and goes to live with her feathered friends. Because she repeatedly warns the birds that humans are near, she angers the would-be birdcatchers, who try to capture her and then force her off a cliff. Aria's fall is broken by a large flock of birds, who sweep her "into the blue beyond." Featuring simulated parchment pages, the book is impressively designed and lavishly illustrated with Williams's (When Grandma Came) richly hued paintings. Elbling's slim allegory, however, never quite takes flight. All ages.
Copyright 1994 Reed Business Information, Inc.

About this edition

• Publisher: Viking Juvenile
• Publication date: 1994
• ISBN 10: 0670850624
• ISBN 13: 9780670850624
• Binding: Hardcover
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 32
• Illustrator: Williams Sophy