Lali's Feather (Lali)

Three cheers for this feisty girl of color and her big imagination.

Zia (Child of Spring) dives right into this buoyant tale, which draws its energy from folktale-like storytelling and lots of chatter. Lali, an Indian girl with a long black braid, finds a feather and asks the neighborhood birds one by one if it's theirs. They answer scornfully: "Na, Lali, na!" the rooster responds, "My feather is a big feather. It makes me a lordly bird." All right, Lali thinks--if it doesn't belong to any of the birds, she'll play with it herself. The feather can write, she finds, and fan and sweep. "Oo ma," Duck cries, "I didn't know pokey feather could do that!" Exclamations make the exchanges even funnier. "Wah! It's a clever feather!" the birds agree, showing a new appreciation for it. A third sequence begins when wind sweeps the feather away and the good-hearted birds offer Lali substitutes, then help her search. Stylized spreads by Coleman (the Who Made My Lunch? series) portray the birds and the mango and tamarind trees of Lali's world energetically but without detracting from the story's forward momentum. It's all dialogue all the time--a prime candidate for reading aloud. Ages 4-8. Author's agent: Jennifer Unter, the Unter Agency. Illustrator's agent: Anne Moore Armstrong, the Bright Agency. (Apr.)

PreS-Gr 2--Lali is a little girl who finds a feather on a field, and goes off in search of its home. The story is set in a village in India which has many kinds of birds. Lali asks some of the birds if the feather belongs to them, but they all deny it and instead list the distinguishing features of their own feathers. Unable to find the owner, Lali decides to keep the feather and impresses the birds with her many possible uses for it. When a strong gust of wind blows Lali's feather away, the birds offer her their own feathers as a replacement, but she refuses. Soon, a crow finds her feather and they all play with it together for the rest of the day. The story highlights the significance of creativity, imaginative play, friendship, and empathy. Coleman's colorful illustrations are lively and detailed. Hindi words are mixed into the simple text. VERDICT This joyful book depicting empathy, friendship, and how to embrace rejection will attract kids from all backgrounds.--Noureen Qadir-Jafar, Syosset Library, NY