Between Heaven and Earth: Bird Tales from Around the World

There are multiple cultures represented in this book. The art is beautifully done for the different cultures, while keeping them all coordinated. I would recommend this to anyone who is wanting to peek into different cultures.

One bird tale each from the diverse countries of Australia, Norway, Sri Lanka, Zimbabwe, and China is retold in this lovely collection. All of them are beautifully illustrated by Caldecott medalists Leo and Diane Dillon. The stylized art work has the feel of stain glass, with heavy outlines framing various shaped colored pieces and their complimentary shades and tones. Many of the pictures are full page size enhancing the effect of these highly ornate visuals. In all cases the illustrations match the action and mood of the story and help to reveal the personalities of the characters involved. A wide range of human feelings and attributes are portrayed in these stories. In "The Disobedient Pelican Daughter," a story from Sri Lanka, we encounter the curious, bold and disobedient daughter of Goolayyahlee pelican. In the Norwegian tale "The Troll and the Scarf Made of Crows" we meet clever Olav who outwits the mischievous troll by using his knowledge of the habits of the familiar crows. "The Beautiful Quail" is a melancholy tale which takes place during a time of extreme drought in Sri Lanka. In a moving show of sympathy other creatures, recognizing that a world without quail would be keenly lacking, forsake their own needs to come to the aid of beautiful quail as she tries to lay her eggs under duress. "The Bird Who Sang Like a Warthog" comes from the African country of Matabeleland. Kumala, a good man, but a braggart and prone to jealousy, and Sibanda, a blind man with much insight are the main characters. Sibanda has a remarkable gift of being able to identify animals, especially birds, by their voices. Kumala is jealous, so much so that he tricks Sibanda and lies to him. The taunting cries of the birds-"liar, liar, liar...." drive Kumala insane. Kumala's recovery process and his wonderful symbolic gesture of atonement bring the story full circle as he rejoins his village. The last tale in the book, "The Swan-Scholar's Great Secret" is set in China at the foot of the Dragon Gorge Mountain. It tells the secret of the swan-ancestors of the people in the village of P'o-lo, and the unending love of family. How the book came into being is an interesting story. Participants from eleven countries talking together at the International Folklore Workshop in 1989 and 1990 at the University of Maryland in College Park spoke of their profound homesickness for their birth countries. Folk stories were shared first in their native tongue and then in English and a decision was made to craft a book. A three and a half page afterword in the collection discusses how the idea progressed to reality and shows how deeply the participants felt during the process.