Lucine Kasbarian

Young Reader Reaction: Our child initially focused on the drawings and didn't like them. There were times when she would laugh and get excited about what would happen next, and then times she "came back down" because of what happened (e.g., the sheep being slaughtered).

Adult Reader Reaction: Rustic yet simple drawings add ambiance to this Armenian folktale. It is easy to tell where the story is going, and even gets silly (the sparrow flies off with a bride!). I had just concluded that the sparrow “won,” when fate intervened.

To read our full review, go to The Reading Tub®.… (mer)

There are a few reasons why I liked this book. First, the illustrations didn’t look like photographs or realistic photos, but it worked well with the story. This is an Armenian tale so the laid back illustrations helped me understand the culture and pay attention to the meaning more than the illustrations. Secondly, I liked that the characters had word bubbles coming out of their mouths in the illustrations. This was a nice way to include dialogue without including it directly in the text. It was all well organized and done in a clear way instead of confusing the readers. Thirdly, the sparrow character was very well developed. You knew what kind of “person” he was by the end of the story and really understood the meaning because the character was so well developed. Lastly, this was a tale of another culture, but the plot was organized and clear. It kept you wondering what the sparrow was going to be up to next and you wanted to continue reading because the sparrow was so sneaky and conniving. The message of this story is something most people refer to as “karma” or what goes around comes around. You must not be greedy or you will end up with nothing. You must be happy with what you have and what people are kind enough to give you and not keep expecting more. Also, if you are sneaky and conniving then it will come back to bite you. The sparrow kept tricking the people in the town, but ended up with only a thorn stuck in his foot by the end of the story.… (mer)