SOURCE: Bought at a fundraising event.
The Little Tern is the enchanting story of a bird who one day discovers he has lost the ability to fly. Life becomes meaningless and, deserted by his airborne friends, he is left alone.
But then new friends arrive and they bring with them a fresh view on life. Through this experience and the friendships that are formed from it, the Little Tern encounters things he had never noticed before. And soon he realises that life is much richer than he had previously known and discovers that our real strength comes from our seeming weakness.
..... Outer back cover
FIRST SENTENCE: This is the story about an extraordinary little bird.
MEMORABLE MOMENT {Page 55}: 'Losing a thing means it is last and gone. Misplacing it is quite different. The thing you have misplaced is there, not lost. Finding it means paying attention to detail and recognising what it is you have not been recognising.'
MY THOUGHTS: Picking up the book I was hoping for a book in the vein of The Velveteen Rabbit or even The Little Prince. What I wasn't expecting was a fable for adults that whilst not unsuitable for children per se because of its overuse of metaphors which goodness only knows I struggled with and general lack of charm I wouldn't have thought appealing to them.
A short philosophical picture book with water colour illustrations by Lisa Mann Dirkes. The story follows a now flightless little tern who, as season follows season, searches for meaning, discovering things through his newly found friends that he'd never noticed when he could fly.
Perhaps a tale I'd have enjoyed more if I hadn't thought it so charmless, the author so self aware. Maybes a book I'd have got more out of if I had merely taken it at face value instead of spending so long looking for a deeper philosophical meaning but as it was I'm afraid this simply wasn't a book I enjoyed.
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7 comments:
Hi Tracy,
This one isn't calling to me at all. Even the cover art seems a little lack lustre and colourless, by modern standards .... Dull is the word that instantly springs to mind!
Sorry you didn't enjoy this one and that I couldn't offer you any crumb of comfort, but I do hope that you are enjoying your weekend nonetheless.
Yvonne.
What a shame! I had hopes this would be as delightful as the blurb from the cover made it sound. I don't think I'll be seeking this out.
As someone who looks for deeper meaning in just about everything I can sympathize with your disappointment here. One problem with parables in general is that they are often a bit too simplistic. With that said when presented in a certain way I often really enjoy them.
I can imagine it being difficult if the author is so involved, as it were. Otherwise it sounds nice, and quite cute, even if not for children entirely.
A book like this really needs to be charming in order to succeed, so sorry to hear this one didn't work. Hope your next read is better, as it seems like you've had a couple of duds lately. :(
From the sounds of it, this one could have been so good had the author done it a little differently. It's too bad that wasn't the case.
Sorry this one wasn't as charming as it looks! The cover is quite cute- I first thought it was a book for kids. :) Thanks for sharing!
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