Buy The Parrot and the Merchant

NetGalley users have written some fantastic reviews of our book The Parrot and the Merchant! Read them below!

 

Amber’s review:

How we show our love to others

The Parrot and the Merchant is an old legend told with stunning illustrations and a focus on how we show our love to others. When a merchant catches and keeps things she loves, she doesn’t realize how much pain she is causing them. On one journey she asks her most beloved parrot what he would like and he asks for advice from his friends he left behind. Through an odd exchange the merchant’s parrot ends up free and she realizes it is the right thing to do because she loves him.

Catherine’s review:

A suggestion book for my library!

Clever, clever tale! All ages will enjoy this story! I love when people rewrite Rumi’s works to fit their own cultures. Rumi was truly a gifted writer with universal appeal. The illustrations were wonderful. I think this is a book for both my private collection and a suggestion for my library!

Laura’s review:

A cute tale about freedom

This is a retelling of a Persian folktale, about a merchant who likes to keep her pretty birds all locked up in cages. The parrot is unhappy, and misses his companions. So, when the merchant gets ready to go forth again, she asks the parrot what he would like from his travels, and he says he would like to hear word from his friends.

In the end, the parrot finds a way to not be caged, as that is what he has been this whole time. And the merchant learns that having the parrot free is not that bad. A cute tale about freedom and imprisonment.

• The importance of introducing diversity to children. Link
• Listen to this fantastic report of BBC Radio 4 about Rumi. Link
• Meeting the illustrator in Tehran. A blog post. Link

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