FEATHERLEE

Follow a little feather we may call, Featherlee, as it is unwillingly blown away from its comfortable bench by a strong wind, and watch it fly over houses and windows, giraffes and little girls, pirates and knights, camels and crocodiles and a million other wonderful things. The shivering and the complaints slowly turn to laughter and dance for our little feather as it teaches us all to be brave, embrace the unknown and adventure, as well as live our life to the fullest.

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Extended summary:

Follow a little feather we may call, Featherlee, as it is unwillingly blown away from its comfortable bench by a strong wind, and watch it fly over houses and windows, giraffes and little girls, pirates and knights, camels and crocodiles and a million other wonderful things.

Starting out shaky and scared, the small feather will slowly learn to enjoy the journey and grow more daring and adventurous. The things that once scared it will now bring it joy and the fear of the unknown will slowly blossom into the excitement of discovery, the thrill of exploration. The shivering and the complaints slowly turn to laughter and dance for our little feather, as it teaches us all to be brave, embrace the unknown and adventure, as well as live our life to the fullest.

The journey of the feather gets a twofold presentation: On the left-hand page we see the people and creatures our little feather meets, and on the right, we get an inside look at the way the feather reacts to them, its feelings and thoughts about the journey it is on.

“[...] And it flies on and on and on,
look at how gracefully it will move on,

Over the houses, their windows too
Over the terrace and the roof
Over the clothes hanging to dry.

Our little feather, about to cry.
Scared and worried, the feather sighs:
Oh what trouble, I’m suddenly in
Farewell my peaceful little life.”

The book beautifully chronicles the little feather’s journey and flight around the world with words and illustrations that combine seamlessly to create a collage-like effect that grants the work a truly unique look.

Vasia Paraskevopoulou’s story of the small feather that discovers the world for the first time is a strong and moving tale, and Persa Zacharia’s wonderful art truly gives the little feather wings and helps the story reach new heights. Of course that is to be expected from the talented artist who charmed readers and critics alike with her amazing minimalist illustrations for “Polyxene” (written by Stella Michailidou and published by Papadopoulos Publishing) that earned them both the Greek IBBY award for best illustrated children’s book in 2014.

On the other hand, Paraskevopoulou (despite being a successful playwright already) emerges as a new voice in the world of children’s literature. If we are to judge her future from what she offers with “Featherlee”, it is with certainty that we should expect and with eagerness that we await from her any further works of wonder.