Rêve d'oiseau or Dream of birds by Shenaz Patel is a beautifully written and illustrated picture book. The story is that of Sara who loves birds and for her birds are freedom and connections.
L'oiseau que tu mets en cage tu devrais lui trouver un autre nom car ce n'est plus un oiseau.
The birds you put inside a cage, you will have to find it another name for it is no longer a bird.
When I saw this book, I was drawn in straight away. Having grown up in Mauritius, birds are part of our island's landscape and history. We all know about Mauritius' most famous bird, the Dodo. Many endemic birds still call Mauritius home: the Lesser Noddy, the Pink Pigeon, the Kestrel, the Paille en Queue.
As a little girls I remember the games we used to play when we spotted a Paille en Queue- While rubbing your nails together, we would sing and ask this long white tailed tropic birds for a little fish:
Paille en Queue
Paille en Queue
Don mwa en ti pwason
While this book is aim to our younger readers, it also introduces some more deeper themes: belonging, respect for our fauna and freedom.
As always I love hunting for landscapes within the written words...connecting words and landscapes.
