Rate this book

Summer And Bird (2012)

by Katherine Catmull(Favorite Author)

3.63 of 5 Votes: 2

ISBN

0525953469 (ISBN13: 9780525953463)

languge

English

genre

Fantasy

publisher

Dutton Juvenile

review 1: This book reminded me of one of my favorite fairy tales ever, The Snow Queen. But that comparison only scratches the surface. Summer and Bird goes beyond the fairy tale. Rocking both magical realism and actual animal folklore, it feels somehow truer and also more compelling. It centers around a family: a mother who wears a feathered robe to become the swan queen, a father who studies birds but is entirely human, two opposite sisters (Summer and Bird) who love each other but are also rivals. Also features: cats that listen to dreams, wise ravens, bird tongue, phoenixes, maps, giant snakes, a place where thoughts become landscape, a chilling, dancing, bird-eating (human) villain called the Puppeteer.I've never read anything quite like it.
review 2: I'm not going ... moreto be able to write a quick, short review or summary of this book. It is not a simple plot or character-driven story. It weaves many characters, conflicts, and ideas together through multiple interconnected and dreamlike settings (Up and Down, forest, plain, river, swan castle, attainable border of the birds, the Green Home) in language that is arrestingly beautiful, highly figurative, and descriptive. The story combines mythology, fairy-tales, childhood rhymes, a few diary entries, dreams, and relatively straightforward, third person narration. It follows the adventures of sisters Summer (12, blond, blue-eyed, scientific observer and journal recorder) and Bird (9, brown coloration, grey eyes, birdlike, instinctual, communicating through music of her recorder) as they search for their parents, for each other, and for their purpose. Summer and Bird's mother is the Swan Queen, who can shed her coat of feathers to appear human - though her daughters do not initially know this - and their father is a normal human ornithologist. Additional significant characters include an owl who seems to befriend Bird; a raven who is Summer's animal teacher and is like a spirit guide; Ben, who comes from a burning tree and who knows that "nothing important means only one thing;" Sarah, the family's cat; and the bird-eating, dancing Puppeteer, who wants to be Queen. Among the many themes are sibling rivalry; the destructiveness of guilt; truth and interpretation; courage; kindness; selfishness; needs vs. desires; and leadership. It is also a book that deals with disintegration of traditional family roles and bonds. This is marketed as a children's book, but I think it is one best shared with an adult for guidance, since it is not an easy read. Although it is an adventure, it isn't a fast-paced one. Rather, the book requires patience and focused attention. I think it might best be enjoyed as a bedtime or classroom read aloud, a little bit at a time. less

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