Molly Bang (author, illus.)
What a delightful book! The story is truly enchanting. An absolute page-turner!
Written and illustrated by the esteemed Molly Bang, the story, although written in a simplistic style, evokes a sense of intense emotion, wonder and mystery.
A restaurateur finds out that due to a new highway, his client traffic has been diverted.
Once prosperous, his business is now on the verge of ruins.
Amidst such desperate circumstances, an unassuming and gentle stranger makes his way to the restaurant. The restaurant owner treats him like royalty and serves the stranger the most delicious meal he can ever imagine himself serving.
For this unusual hospitality, the stranger rewards the owner with a paper crane. Yes...it does conjure the imagination of Alladin and his magical lamp:) The paper crane is indeed magical. Unfortunately, the similarity ends here.
While the genie rewards Alladin by saying "your wish is my command" whenever Alladin rubs his lamp and comes up with different experiences, the paper crane comes alive whenever the restaurateur claps his hands and the bird performs the most amazing dancing feats.
The news of the magical dancing crane reaches far and wide, and people from distant places flock the restaurant to see the dancing crane.
Here comes the cliff-hangar!
The gentle stranger returns! However, this time, he rewards the owner by just playing his flute. To everyone's surprise, the paper crane comes alive and the stranger embarks on the dancing bird and flies away never to be seen.
Adapted from a Japanese folk tale, the story is singularly remarkable and I just wanted more of it.
The story was very moving and captured my interest about life in ways than I could ever imagine. The plethora of what-ifs. The endless possibilities. The unceasing expectations.
The story has a moral...one should never take things for granted and yet, one should never lose hope and wonder and be open to endless magical possibilities that life offers.
The illustrations are uniquely beautiful. The book won numerous awards - The ALA Notable Book award, the Boston Globe/Horn Book Award for Illustration and the Reading Rainbow Feature Selection.
A must read for children and adults.
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