Synopsis A picture book version of Oscar Wilde's fairytale of the relationship between a beautiful statue and a little swallow.

Review: Both the simplified text and the gorgeous illustrations make this a wonderful book for children. The text has a poetic quality which makes it a treat to read aloud. There is plenty to look at, talk about and wonder at in the illustrations of the city and of Egypt. Both the large scale pictures and close-ups give intriguing sense of individual lives lived and open up the possibilities of many other stories within the story which children may be inspired to explore. The overtly religious ending may inspire discussions about what children expect and hope for from an ending and might take them further to consider the writer’s intention and the effect of different endings on the story as a whole as well as on the reader.

2006-11-03