All around the Orange House, new houses are being built. The new houses all talk about each other, but the Orange House doesn’t want to join in. The Turquoise, the first new house to be built, remembers that all the houses were once like the Orange House, with gardens, ponds, fish and birds. Sadly, the Orange House remembers those times and the new houses share her sadness. So when the time comes for the Orange House to be pulled down, they join together and protect her. It’s a very thoughtful story, with a strong environmental message touchingly conveyed. Delicate, child-like illustrations give the book real child-appeal.
Rūmī was a 13th-century Persian poet, jurist, Islamic scholar, theologian, and Sufi mystic; his poetry is especially popular in the US. This story is one of his fables about accepting one’s own identity, and not wanting to change. The jackal is unhappy about his appearance and wants to become a colourful peacock, so he decides to paint himself as a peacock, but this doesn’t work out and the jackal finds he was much better off as he was. Beautifully drawn illustrations with soft delicate colouring are a sheer delight.
