#184 of 1001 · January 31, 2021

Here’s a clever and engaging adaptation of an indigenous Australian folktale: Rainbow Bird by Eric Maddern and Adrienne Kennaway. The story opens at the beginning of the world, in the Time of Dreams, where among the animals dwells the ferocious Crocodile Man, the only creature endowed with the gift of fire. He breathes it out as might a dragon, playing with the flames and jealously guarding them from all who dare come near. Bird Woman remonstrates with Crocodile Man, urging him to share fire with the other animals, but he will not hear of it. When the reptile lets his guard down for a yawn, the bird snatches a burning branch, flies away, and imbues the whole forest with combustibility. Bird Woman absorbs the flaming color into her tail, and Crocodile Man sinks down into the swamp in dismay. Maddern’s expressive language and Kennaway’s vivid illustrations honor the spirit of a folktale that provides an etiology for the phenomenon of fire, the colorful plumage of birds, and the habitat of crocodiles. #rainbow #bird #crocodile #fire #australia #australian #book #books #childrensbooks #beautifulbook #beautifulbooks #beautifulbookcovers #picturebook #picturebooks #picturebookillustration #picturebookart #childrensbookillustration #childrensliterature #illustration #kidlit #kidsbooks #bookworm #booklover #booklovers #bibliophile #bookstagram #bookstagrammer #bookstagrammers #instabook #instabooks