December 14, 2009
“Fly free, fly free, in the sky so blue. When you do a good deed, it will come back to you!” sing the Vietnamese characters in Thong’s (Wish
) story, as each does something to help the next. Mai wants to release a cageful of birds at the birdseller’s—a traditional Buddhist good deed—but she doesn’t have the money. She leaves water for the oxcart driver, who gives a stranger a ride, who repays the driver with a cake, and so on, until Mai’s birds are freed by another good deed. Neilan (Imagine a Dragon
) applies luminous colors to wood with a heavy horizontal grain, creating cloud-streaked skies, rice fields, and mist-shrouded lakes. The tranquil landscapes give appropriate calm to a story about karma, the idea that good deeds accumulate and affect one’s rebirth in the next life. Neilan’s characters look best in profile; in head-on views, their features sometimes appear squashed or lopsided. Still, it’s a useful introduction to Southeast Asia, an explanation of the Buddhist concept of karma (an explanatory note appears in back), and a neat moral tale about paying it forward. Ages 7–9.
January 1, 2010
Preschool-G Mai regularly visits the caged sparrows outside a Buddhist temple in Vietnam. She wishes to free the birdsreleasing them after a payment is a good deed and the Buddhist way but she cannot afford to do so. Instead, she invites Thu to join her in feeding them, whispering Fly free, fly free in the sky so blue. When you do a good deed it will come back to you. Thu, in turn, repeats the mantra when she gives her red velvet slippers to a girl with a foot injury. The injured girl acts kindly to another, and the chain of compassionate actions eventually leads a stranger to pay for the sparrows release. When the birds fly free and Mai exclaims, Fly free, fly free . . ., children will complete the refrain. The succinct, restrained parable introduces Buddhist ideas and a moral viewpoint that transcends religion. Sunny, serene watercolor illustrations match the gentle tone and message. A solid choice for multicultural units, this also demonstrates the value of kindness.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2010, American Library Association.)
March 1, 2010
PreS-Gr 3-A Vietnamese girl feeds caged birds outside a Buddhist temple, beginning a cycle of good deeds continued by the townspeople, including a girl who gives away her red-velvet shoes, before circling back to the birds. Although written to illustrate the Buddhist philosophy of karma, the lesson of this simple story, that helping others is helpful to you, is universal. The muted and warm watercolor-on-board illustrations glow with gold, orange, red, and brown tones, although the girls' unnaturally pink cheeks and lips give them a jarringly clownish look. One of the characters is a monk but the only explicit religious message is found in an author's note that explains karma, nirvana, and samsara (the wheel of life). The arresting cover illustration of a child holding her hands in the air as birds fly into the distance foreshadows the story's conclusion. That dramatic image will immediately engage readers in wondering how the birds will be freed. The slight story serves primarily as a framework for the lesson but the approach is gentle and nonjudgmental."Lucinda Snyder Whitehurst, St. Christopher's School, Richmond, VA"
Copyright 2010 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.
July 1, 2010
This quiet story begins with Mai feeding some caged birds and wishing they were free; the tale ends with this act of kindness ("Fly free, fly free..."), after a series of other actions have occurred. Handsome, serene watercolors show stranger helping stranger with shoes, water, food, and finally good health. A brief explanation of some Buddhist precepts concludes the book.
(Copyright 2010 by The Horn Book, Incorporated, Boston. All rights reserved.)