Mark Givens - A Circle Of Birds Book
A privileged bird leads a sheltered life of slow decline while the birds in the village work hard to improve their lot.
A Circle of Birds is a gentle children’s book, beautifully illustrated, which tells the story of young Brightful, a bird born into a life of protective feathers. Color and light surround Brightful, who enjoys all the worms he can eat and friends eager to serve his needs. Only when he visits town does he see poor birds, tired after a day of work. Dirty with sparse feathers! He wonders how they got themselves in such a fix? (Age 6 recommended)
—Susan I. Weinstein, author of Tales of the Mer Family Onyx.
Graphically savvy and narratively astute, Givens delivers Terry Southern pathos for the picture book set. Brightly feathered and so, so dry.
—David Carpenter, author of From Alex to Ursula (and then a few more)
Delightful drawings accompany a charming parable of privilege and class, ending on a note of defiant optimism. A relevant story for our times.
—David Lester, artist and musician
This parable for a divided age, beautifully illustrated, lodges in the memory and makes you think differently about the unequal way that life hands out its gifts. It's a tale of entitlement and privilege with an unexpectedly happy ending – but not for the one you might expect.
—John Helmer, author of Mother Tongue, musician, podcaster (The Learning Hack, Great Minds on Learning)