The blue bird's palace

Orianne Lallemand

Book - 2016

When a magical bluebird grants her wish, Natasha finds herself in the grand palace she dreamed of, but with unexpected consequences.

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Subjects
Genres
Picture books
Published
Cambridge, MA : Barefoot Books 2016.
Language
English
French
Main Author
Orianne Lallemand (author)
Other Authors
Carole Hénaff (illustrator), Tessa Strickland (translator)
Physical Description
1 volume (unpaged) ; color illustrations ; 27 cm
ISBN
9781846868856
Contents unavailable.
Review by Booklist Review

In this adaptation of a Russian folktale, young Natasha is raised in a loving home, but after the death of her mother, she's spoiled by her doting father. She longs for a bigger house, but her father refuses to move from his cottage. Natasha is unused to being refused, and when she is suddenly given the chance to make a wish, she thinks only of personal interest. She finds herself in a prison of luxury, shut away from human contact and the natural world (so brilliantly portrayed in earlier illustrations), having left her father behind. Acrylic illustrations, predominately in blues, are reflective of the story's Russian origins: swirls and flowers adorn the traditional dress and home furnishings. The soft pastels give an added lushness to a story of self-absorption. While the text is detailed and somewhat demanding for newer readers, the story, whose theme is familiar, brings new insight into the isolation that selfishness can create. Lovely and magical.--Ching, Edie Copyright 2016 Booklist

From Booklist, Copyright (c) American Library Association. Used with permission.
Review by Publisher's Weekly Review

In this lavishly illustrated tale from Lallemand (The Wolf Who Wanted to Change His Color), inspired by Russian folklore, a materialistic and tempestuous young woman named Natasha, "sweet as sunshine if she got her own way, savage as a storm if she did not," strikes a magical bargain with an elderly woman, receiving a palace that she can bend to her wishes, but never leave. During her exile, Natasha begins to miss the widowed father she left behind and recognize "what it meant to live in hardship," awakening to her shortsighted selfishness. Rendered in a folk art style, Hénaff's ornate acrylics recall embroidered textiles, ornamented with curling vines, flowers, and plants. While Natasha's change in temperament happens somewhat abruptly, this remains an evocative, allegorical story about becoming trapped by one's desires. Ages 5-10. (Sept.) © Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.

(c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved
Review by Horn Book Review

Spoiled, beautiful Natasha strikes a deal with a strange old woman to live in a magical palace. She can only leave her palace in the form of a blue bird, as whom she witnesses poverty as she flies through the night skies. The contrast between selfishness and selflessness plays out against richly decorative acrylic paintings in this original tale "inspired by Russian folk tradition. (c) Copyright 2017. The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

(c) Copyright The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.