and sequencing neatly choreographing the tale’s emotional trajectory. Kirkus
"There once was a Robot with a broken heart. They did their best to fix him, but it wasn't any good. SO he was sent to sit on the scrapheap with all the other old machines."
The robot is left to rust and disintegrate until one day a Bluebird arrives. She is flying south away from the freezing winter but she needs somewhere to rest.
"There is a space where my heart used to be' he said gently. 'You can sleep there if you like."
The little bird is warm and when she flutters it feels as though the robot's heart is singing. But she can't stay here - it is way too cold.
"Then let me carry you ... I'll carry you in my heart and shelter you from the cold and storms."
The pair set off to find a warmer place. The ending of this book will, excuse the pun, utterly warm YOUR heart!
The library I visit each week has a terrific way of encouraging the children to discover books. This library is for the youngest children in the school and so rather than have the ransack the shelves it is easier to create new book displays on every possible surface and change them each week. In addition to this, once each term, she collects all the books on two popular topics and she fills a couple of shelf tubs for the children to select topics like ballet/dance; fairies; ninja; robots; and of course, dinosaurs.
That is how I came to see The Robot and the Bluebird. One of my tasks is shelving some of the returned books. What a precious discovery this book is. The Robot and the Bluebird was published in paperback in 2008 but I did find it listed with a couple of online booksellers here in Australia. If I was still working in my school library I would most certainly purchase this book - the emotional journey created by David Lucas has deeply affected me.
Here is the website for David Lucas. Here is a video of the book which has a good pace. Click here to see more pages and the draft illustrations.
Here are some of the review comments I found on the author web page:
- ‘A profound variation on The Happy Prince’ Geraldine Brennan, T.E.S.
- ‘David Lucas’s poetic voice makes The Robot and the Bluebird sing. Lilting cadences give this tale a lightness and a fairytale touch reminiscent of Oscar Wilde, but with a Burtonesque twist.’ Irish Times
- ‘tender, touching and hopeful... this modern fable about the power of love to regenerate unfolds at a gentle pace and to great effect.’ Julia Eccleshare, Guardian
- ‘A poignant book... its simple pictures steer the story away from sentimentality, and its readers will take a while to grow out of it.’ Daily Telegraph
No comments:
Post a Comment