The Bird Race is intended as the first in a series of books to introduce young hearts to old stories and to promote ideas of caring and respect for each other, animals and the environment. The author relies on the stories he heard from his parents and grandparents told for a time when television and the internet did not exist. However, the themes of being grateful, cautious and respectful remain as relevant as any time before.
The Bird Race features a canary, a species once used to warn miners of toxic gases in the mines and now used for warnings of all kinds. As in the old tradition of storytelling, these birds have language and can even understand humans. Unfortunately, for birds in this story, humans see birdspeak as something that could be best appreciated in captivity. This story begins in the backlands near the canefields of the author’s childhood in Guyana and features the cherished and peculiar cultural practice of capturing and caging birds. But there is hope humans can redeem themselves and in the process introduce the readers to new cultural practices and maybe a new level of tolerance.
Available at New Era Bookstore
and online at Etsy
The author is a former New York City Public School teacher and tells stories for the early grades. This would be an excellent addition to any age-appropriate class reading list anywhere and lesson plans would be available as well.
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