Feather

by Cao Wenxuan, Chloe Garcia-roberts (Translator), Roger Mello (Illustrator)

Overview

A philosophical picture book from one of China's most celebrated children's authors and 2016 Hans Christian Andersen Award-winner Cao Wenxuan.

A feather is blown across the sky, meeting various birds along the way, and asking each one, "Do I belong to you?".

Cao Wenxuan tells the story of a single feather who is swept away on a journey of discovery and belonging. Encountering a variety of birds, from a kingfisher to a magpie, Feather is hopeful of meeting the bird she belongs to. Again and again, she is dismissed or ignored. Only when she sees that there is also beauty in being close to the earth does fate offer a reunion... Feather is sure to charm young children with a plot at once compelling, meditative, and quietly moving. Roger Mello’s stunningly beautiful, dynamic illustrations will delight readers of all ages.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780914671862
Publisher:	New York Review Books
Publication date:	11/28/2017
Sold by:	Penguin Random House Publisher Services
Format:	eBook
Pages:	48
File size:	13 MB
Note:	This product may take a few minutes to download.
Age Range:	3 - 7 Years

About the Author

Cao Wenxuan is a professor of literature at Peking University. He is a member of the China Writer's Association as well as the Vice-President of the Beijing Writer's Association. Wenxuan was nominated and received more than 40 awards, including the Hans Christian Andersen Award, the Chinese National Book Award by the General Administration of Press and Publication (GAPP), and the Golden Butterfly Award of the Tehran International Film Festival.

TRANSLATOR: Chloe Garcia-Roberts is the translator of Li Shangyin's Derangements of My Contemporaries: Miscellaneous Notes, which was awarded a 2013 PEN/Heim Translation Fund Grant, and author of The Reveal (Noemi Press, 2015). She lives in Boston and is the managing editor for the Harvard Review.

Read an Excerpt

One day, a little boy and a little girl walked by Feather. They picked her up and passed her back
and forth looking at her.
When they threw her back to the ground and started to walk away, Feather heard the little girl
ask the little boy, “What kind of bird is that feather from?”
Yes, what kind of bird do I belong to? thought Feather. And from that moment on, she began to
ask herself that question all the time.
A strong burst of wind came along and blew Feather up into the sky.
The feeling of fluttering high in the air was delightful.
If I belonged to a bird, I could fly even higher! she thought.
How she longed for the sky! How she longed to soar!

Feather drifted down onto a tree by the waterside.
A kingfisher was perched there on a branch, head tilted, silently watching the water’s surface.
Feather shyly asked the kingfisher, “Am I yours?”
The kingfisher did not respond to her and suddenly plunged into the water. After a moment, it
flew back up with a small silvery fish still wriggling in its mouth.
The kingfisher flew to the tree branch again, and again tilting its head, sat silently watching
the water’s surface.
Feather asked the kingfisher over and over, “Am I yours?”
But the kingfisher was so focused on catching fish it completely ignored her.
Feather waited silently.
At long last, when the kingfisher was no longer busy, it turned its head, took a
long look at Feather and said, “You are not mine.”
A strong burst of wind came along and blew Feather up into the sky.
A cuckoo flew by alongside her.
“Am I yours?” Feather inquired.
The cuckoo was so focused on calling out cuckoo, cuckoo to people that it didn’t pay
any attention to Feather.
The wind kept blowing and Feather kept floating in the sky.
When the cuckoo came flying back around, Feather
once again inquired, “Am I yours?”
The cuckoo turned its head, took a long look, and
said, “Not mine! Not mine!”
Feather drifted down by the side of a pond.
In the shallow water was a heron looking for food.
Feather asked the heron, “Am I yours?”
The heron, focused on continuing its search, paid no attention to her.

Editorial Reviews

…[a] lovely and…profound tale…Mello's striking art makes each page a bright color, each avian portrait an evocative surprise.

The New York Times Book Review - Maria Russo

"[A] lovely and, yes, profound tale. . . Mello’s striking art makes each page a bright color, each avian portrait an evocative surprise. The book’s box like design looks special, too." — The New York Times Book Review

"Mello’s artwork offers countless delights: the plumage of the birds, contrasting backdrops that make the colors blaze, and liberal use of empty space. Cao’s story has the timeless quality of a traditional folk tale. . . and it speaks to the way that desires have consequences that can’t be calculated. It’s not comfort Feather’s search offers, but truth and beauty." — Publishers Weekly (starred review)

"Each bird takes center stage on the double-page spreads, a marvel of extravagant pattern against solid, vibrant backgrounds ... [A] Zen exploration of belonging and groundedness ... further enhanced by a sensitive translation and pithy, philosophical introductions by both creators—masterful storytelling." — Kirkus Reviews (starred review)

"[A] picture book with a very thoughtful, philosophical bent... strikingly gorgeous illustrations perfectly capture the variety of birds in the world including kingfisher, cuckoo, heron, wild geese, peacock, skylark and hawk... This is a book to hand to thoughtful readers." —Catherine Coyne, Mansfield Public Library, in Youth Services Book Review

"Feather is unlike any other picture book I’ve seen. . . nuanced and timeless in its nature. And then there are Roger Mello’s striking illustrations." — Cracking the Cover

"Feather is a unique, beautiful take on the "Are You My Mother" story structure as a lost feather floats along, trying to find the bird it belongs to. Paired with Mello's spare yet rich and dynamic illustrations, this hopeful story of searching for belonging soars above the rest." — Hannah DeCamp, Avid Bookshop

"As Feather encounters different kinds of birds, it asks, “Am I yours?” The beautifully detailed illustrations, by the author of You Can’t Be Too Careful!, accompany Feather on its disheartening journey to a violent climax. The book comes out in September in the US, but it’s worth the wait." — Quartz

"The illustrations are beautiful and striking in their simplicity... A sweet story, reading like a folk tale, a story of finding where you belong and not giving up until you do." — Katrina Yurenka, Youth Services Book Review, starred review

"[A] lovely picture book by beloved Chinese children’s author Cao Wenxuan. . . The stunning illustrations are by acclaimed artist Roger Mello." — Buffalo News

"Award-winning Chinese author Cao Wenxuan has written a moving, timeless story, with a sensitive translation by Chloe Garcia Roberts. Wenxuan is a natural storyteller and the meditative and sagacious tale meanders gently along combining with an essence of Zen philosophy – an understanding of the meaning of life... Brazilian artist Roger Mello’s illustrations are striking... a bewitching book for all ages." —Outside In World

From the Publisher

★ 2017-06-19
In this first collaboration between Chinese author Cao and Brazilian artist Mello—both of whom are recent Hans Christian Andersen award winners—a feather embarks on a quest to discover to whom she belongs. From a kingfisher and cuckoo to wild geese and a peacock, the birds universally ignore Feather at first but ultimately convey the same message: she does not belong to them. The protagonist believes that finding her bird of origin will enable her to fly even higher, so she continues the journey. The creatures have distinctive voices, and the compositions fuse a sense of Asian design with a South American palette. Each bird takes center stage on the double-page spreads, a marvel of extravagant pattern against solid, vibrant backgrounds. Pottery and natural features provide occasional context. The feather is an abstract silhouette on the right border of each scene. At the climax, a kindly skylark lifts Feather to new heights but falls prey, alas, to a circling hawk. (The demise occurs offstage.) Devastated, Feather floats to Earth, where she eventually spots a parade of chicks marching into the sunshine; mother hen is missing a feather. The author wisely allows readers to ponder a potential conversation and next steps. This Zen exploration of belonging and groundedness is further enhanced by a sensitive translation and pithy, philosophical introductions by both creators—masterful storytelling. (Picture book. 5-8)

Kirkus Reviews