A huge feather falls from a grey and leaden sky to be found by two children, Maria and Nico. They recognise a treasure and take it to the nearby village to share their find with others. But to the children’s dismay, the villagers want to lock it away to preserve its beauty. As if in response, the feather loses its white purity and becomes dingy and unattractive. The villagers reject it and the children return home with their precious find. But overnight, by morning, it has become radiant again. They set it free by throwing it to the winds from a clifftop over the sea. This is a poetic and often ambiguous story which invites multiple interpretations. Themes of hope versus despair, selfishness versus kindness, freedom versus captivity, redemption versus damnation, and dark versus light are implied here in a story which celebrates beauty. The final image of white sheets on a clothesline set against a blue sky is enigmatic and magnificently suggestive.
Set in a grey dystopian world, Margaret Wild’s carefully crafted opening line sets the scene: ‘In the darkness of day, the feather falls. It used to be part of a wing that was serene and joyous. Now it is unmoored. It sinks to the ground. Flutters. Lies still.’ This allegory suggests that something has gone very wrong in this world – with the sky so dark and no longer blue, and the weather greatly disturbed. It also suggests that only the children can save this world with their sense of optimism and appreciation of beauty. Freya Blackwood is a recognised master of the picture book form, her figure drawing is loose and emotive, and she uses colour, light and shade, brilliantly. Three wordless spreads depict a move from darkness to light symbolically. The book was shortlisted for the 2019 CBCA Picture Book of the Year Award and the 2019 Prime Minister’s Literary Award. Like the classic poem ‘Hope is the thing with feathers that perches in the soul’ by Emily Dickinson, this glorious work of art ultimately celebrates hope.
Picture Books for Older Readers
