Parrot and the Merchant, The
Author: Marjan Vafaian
For KS1/lower KS2
Price 7.99 paperback
Book(s) at £ 7.99 paperback
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Parrot and the Merchant, The In this retelling of a fable by Rumi, the 13th Century Persian poet and philosopher, the merchant is now a woman, Mar Jahan. When she asks her beloved, caged talking parrot what she would like her to bring back from her travels to make her happy, the parrot asks for advice from her free fellow birds about how to be happy. The story reveals how hard it is to give something you love freedom, not cage it, as Mar Jahan learns. The illustrations are beautifully intricate and Vafaian contrasts drawings in which fabrics are depicted in fabulous colour and detail with those which use a washed out style, capturing the contrast between the wealth of the merchant and the sadness of the parrot and Mar Jahan's servants. A book with which to engage readers about empathy and tolerance.

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