Status
Available
Call number
Genres
Publication
Familius (2018), Edition: Illustrated, 32 pages
Description
"Many years ago, before the world bloomed in magnificent colors, the Earth lay stark and gray. The animals that graced its skies and roamed its lands were the colors of dirt, clay, and stone ... until Rainbow descended to bestow her colors on the creatures of the world. Each bird asked for a bright and beautiful color: green for Parrot, red for Cardinal, and yellow for Canary. But will there be any colors left for little Gouldian Finch? He soon learns the power of patience and the beauty of all creatures. Based on a Belgian folktale, this beautifully told and illustrated tale is a timeless treasure for every collection."--Jacket.
User reviews
LibraryThing member AbigailAdams26
Opening in a primitive world in which everything is the color of dirt, clay and stone, this picture-book retelling of a Belgian folktale explains how color came to be in the world, and how the Gouldian Finch became one of the world's most colorful birds. After a deluge, Rainbow appears for the
According to the brief afterword, first-time author Annemarie Riley Guertin used a story she found in Olive Beaupré Miller's 1921 collection, The Latchkey of My Bookhouse, as a source for How the Finch Got His Colors. Given that this is described as a Belgian folktale, one wonders whether the original was about the Gouldian Finch specifically, since this species is native to Northern Australia and New Guinea, or whether it concerned the European goldfinch. I'll have to track down the original and see. Leaving that (possible) adaptation aside, I enjoyed this retelling immensely, appreciating both the engaging text and the gorgeous artwork by Spanish illustrator Helena Pérez García. Appropriately enough, given the subject matter, the visuals here were stunning in their use of color. Recommended to all young folklore and fairy-tale lovers, and to anyone looking for pourquoi stories.
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first time, bestowing her colors on the animals in the world beneath her. All the birds line up for their share, but when the little finch, last of all, finally gets his turn, there are no more colors. What's do be done? All his avian fellows sympathize, and Rainbow gives a little bit of each of their colors to him...According to the brief afterword, first-time author Annemarie Riley Guertin used a story she found in Olive Beaupré Miller's 1921 collection, The Latchkey of My Bookhouse, as a source for How the Finch Got His Colors. Given that this is described as a Belgian folktale, one wonders whether the original was about the Gouldian Finch specifically, since this species is native to Northern Australia and New Guinea, or whether it concerned the European goldfinch. I'll have to track down the original and see. Leaving that (possible) adaptation aside, I enjoyed this retelling immensely, appreciating both the engaging text and the gorgeous artwork by Spanish illustrator Helena Pérez García. Appropriately enough, given the subject matter, the visuals here were stunning in their use of color. Recommended to all young folklore and fairy-tale lovers, and to anyone looking for pourquoi stories.
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Language
Original language
English
Physical description
32 p.; 11 inches
ISBN
1945547774 / 9781945547775