to retain their place in the hierarchy. The plan comes to fruition and they return to their rightful homes, thrilled with their journey and the feeling they helped the birds accomplish something great. To use the word again I found the story to be utterly engrossing and magical. Well written with colorful descriptions of life as the children experienced it, and the historical context and significance of their surroundings. Even if one has not visited Athens, you are still transported to that era and can visually “see” every detail the children see. The illustrations are gorgeous, really. Appropriate without being childish. This book does not talk down to children, but achieves its purpose of whisking the reader away on a unique journey. I loved every page.
A truly magical and vivid story in which you can almost smell the wares of the marketplace and see the pottery and wares being offered for sale. Two children--a boy and a girl-- visit a pet store and discover two birds trapped in a cage. Not just ordinary birds, however, but TALKING birds! Through a conversation with the animals, they learn the birds wish to return to the land they came from, and the children agree to help in this journey. As a reward, the boy and girl are able to also get to the magical kingdom of the birds, an experience not usually offered to humans. Inside the birds’ world, they come up with the idea to build a city in the sky which would enable the inhabitants
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