The Twins and the Bird of Darkness
A Hero Tale from the Caribbean
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- $9.99
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- $9.99
Publisher Description
When a benevolent king and his daughter, Princess Marie, find their peaceful kingdom threatened by an enormous, evil, seven-headed bird, the brave princess offers herself as the bird's hostage in order to prevent the entire kingdom from being thrust into eternal darkness.
As soon as Soliday, a kindhearted, hardworking, and generous youth hears about the princess's sacrifice, he vows to kill the Bird of Darkness and save Marie. His identical twin brother -- the jealous, lazy, and dishonest Salacotta -- accompanies Soliday on the dangerous journey, but doesn't lift a finger in order to rescue the princess or slay the monstrous bird. And the second Salacotta sees his chance to claim that he was the one who freed the princess, he does just that.
Will Soliday be able to convince everyone that he is indeed who he says? Will his brother admit his treachery? Will Soliday ever be able to trust his twin again?
This timeless and resonant folktale about the forces of good and evil and the redemptive power of brotherly love is the perfect story for the ages.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
San Souci (Cendrillon) returns to a Caribbean setting for this composite tale relayed in lush jungle colors and featuring a macabre multiheaded monster. When the baleful Bird of Darkness, its seven eagle-like heads on serpentine necks, claims an island princess for its own, twin brothers set out to save her. But the twins are opposite in nature: Soliday (who, like the biblical Joseph, wears a coat of many colors) is altruistic and hardworking, while lazy, conniving Salacota happily betrays his own brother. Widener's (If the Shoe Fits; Forecasts, May 6) stylized perspectives heighten the sinister aspects of the plot, but his vivid acrylics create a subtle, disquieting tension that intensifies the story's suspense. In a characteristically striking juxtaposition, a tangerine sky is visible outside a sorcerer's shadowy hut, contrasting with the dark skull and crossbones hanging just inside. Color figures prominently in the layout as well, with warm hues backing lengthy blocks of text. The plot moves swiftly through treachery and triumph, but is not without its grisly moments, as when the bird issues a gruesome greeting to Soliday: "I'll strike the bargain I struck with the others:/ You give me your eyes and liver,/ I'll give you swift death in return." This well-wrought tale will best suit those who like their happily-ever-afters preceded by a good case of the shivers. Ages 5-10.
