Beautifully bound and illustrated, this short children’s story found its origins in the verbal storytelling of generations past, and was eventually printed in this charming bedtime story book. Written and illustrated by M. Anu Narasimhan, The Little Parrot and the Angel’s Tears is poetically paced and rhymed, and tells the story of a brave little parrot who needs to save his friends from a forest fire.
The story is concise and to the point, however, since a picture is worth 1000 words, the depth of the story goes beyond the short number of words. Along with the dreamy illustrations made in pen and watercolors, with the dominant green colors imprinting the density of the jungle foliage; Bringing home comfort to the parrot’s friends that include an elephant, deer, and rabbit, the gentle rhythm of the words embraces and nurtures the reader. The book achieves the synergy of images and messages creating a virtual world in the reader’s imagination.
Seeing the burning forest from his perch high up in a treetop, the parrot is able to easily escape danger, but realizes his friends on the jungle floor with legs can’t. So the brave parrot returns to the danger zone and tries to lift the other animals, but without success. He then resorts to making multiple trips to the pond to collect drops of water, and then back over the flames to spray the droplets from his wings, a herculean effort with an unlikely successful outcome.
So he brings in the character of Devta, the spirit god of the jungle. In a conversation, Devta tells the parrot to save itself and fly away. However, the parrot will not leave his friends in danger. The bravery of the little parrot impresses the deity so much that tears fall like raindrops from Devta’s eyes, putting out the flames, saving the forest and all its inhabitants.
The force of will, the conflict of a survival instinct, and the stubbornness to ignore the selfishness embedded in this story will leave an indelible impression on young minds reading this or having it read to them at bedtime. Narasimhan has saved this story from extinction by immortalizing it in such a delightful book, durably printed to last for generations of growing children.
Subtle details are everywhere, like a banana tree in the background. When I read this to our little daughter, I pointed out to her that bananas grow “upside down” and she was amazed at that detail. The parrot has a mind of its own, and although the spirits of the jungle instructed him to save himself, he goes against that advice for the heroic role of helping save his friends.
The book has a multicultural theme, of a tribal belief that is timeless in its values. I find The Little Parrot to be an ideal birthday gift for a young child and a valuable addition to school libraries and family collections.
