School Library Journal Review
K-Gr 3-Javaherbin retells a story taken from an ancient Persian poem, "Parrot and the Merchant," by Jalaledin Rumi. It is the tale of a wealthy merchant who keeps a parrot in his shop whose colorful feathers, singing, and talking attract many customers. When the merchant travels to India on a shopping trip, he promises to bring something home for each family member, including the parrot, whose unusual request leads to his own freedom. Colorful cartoon-style acrylic artwork shows people in traditional dress and brightly colored birds and reinforces the capably written storytelling. Whatley includes touches of humor in several of the illustrations. While this is not an essential purchase, it offers an interesting twist that could lead to a discussion of the meaning of freedom.-Susan Scheps, Shaker Heights Public Library, OH (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Publisher's Weekly Review
Whatley's (Diary of a Wombat) lighthearted touch animates this 13th-century Persian fable, based on a poem by Rumi. The pompous Persian merchant who stars has a bulbous nose, a quizzical expression, and the physique of one of Snow White's dwarfs. His caged parrot has helped him attract customers, and the merchant has prospered over the years. The parrot asks the India-bound merchant to carry news of his captivity to his free relatives as he passes through the forest. The merchant is shocked by the parrots' response: "Suddenly, one by one, they fell off the branches with their backs on the ground and their feet in the air. Their bodies lay still under the shadow of the banyan canopy." When he delivers this news back at home, his parrot collapses, too, and the anguished merchant removes him from his cage-whereupon the parrot flies away, "...thanks to the message from my friends in India!" Javaherbin (Goal!) tells the story simply, and Whatley's insouciance takes some of the shock out of the parrots' "deaths." After the first suspenseful reading, children should clamor for repeats. Ages 4-7. (Oct.) (c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.