Birdie Black

On Christmas Eve, a king buys a roll of bright red cloth for so that the maids can make a cloak for his daughter, the princess. The scraps are bundled up and left outside the back door where a kitchen-maid on her way home picks them up and makes a jacket for her ma. She too bundles up the scraps and leaves them outside her door where Bertie Badger picks them up and makes a hat for his pa. The scraps are left outside his back door and Samuel Squirrel picks them up and makes a pair of gloves for his wife. A gust of wind picks up the tiny scrap of red cloth left, which is found by Milly Mouse who makes a scarf for little Billy. All the presents are unwrapped on Christmas morning.

This is a beautifully illustrated story about sharing and reusing, and on the surface makes a great read-aloud for children. However, the deeper messages I found unsettling. The king is warm and cosy in his castle and poor Milly Mouse is trudging through the snow - I was reminded of the Little Match Girl - Milly may have made a scarf for little Billy, but she was still cold and barefoot. Why should the king have all the money to start with? Why should the maids stay up all night to make a cloak for the princess - what about their families? Why should the people be content with scraps from the king? Many questions that could be useful when working with this book with an older age group.… (mer)