Beautifully bound and illustrated, this short children’s story found its origin in the verbal storytelling of generations past, and was finally printed in this enchanting bedtime storybook. Written and illustrated by M. Anu Narasimhan, The Little Parrot and the Angel’s Tears has a poetic rhythm and rhyme, and tells the story of a brave little parrot who needs to save his friends from a forest fire.

The story is concise and to the point, however, since a picture is worth 1000 words, the depth of the story transcends the short amount of words. Together with the dreamy illustrations made with pen and watercolors, with the dominant green colors imprinting the density of the jungle foliage; Bringing home comfort to the parrot’s friends that include an elephant, deer, and rabbit, the gentle rhythm of the words embraces and nurtures the reader. The book achieves the synergy of images and messages by creating a virtual world in the reader’s imagination.

Seeing the burning forest from his perch high in the treetop, the parrot is able to easily escape danger, but realizes that his pawed friends on the jungle floor cannot. So the brave parrot returns to the danger zone and tries to pick up the other animals, but to no avail. He then resorts to making multiple trips to the pond to collect water droplets, and then returns over the flames to spray the droplets from his wings, a Herculean effort with an unlikely successful outcome.

So he brings in the character of Devta, the spiritual god of the jungle. In a conversation, Devta tells the parrot to save itself and fly away. However, the parrot will not leave his friends in danger. The little parrot’s bravery impresses the deity so much, that tears fall like raindrops from Devta’s eyes, putting out the flames, saving the forest and all its inhabitants.

The willpower, the conflict of a survival instinct, and the stubbornness to ignore the selfishness embedded in this story will leave an indelible impression on the young minds reading this or having it read to them at bedtime. Narasimhan has saved this story from extinction by immortalizing it in such a lovely book, durably printed to last for generations of growing children.

Subtle details are everywhere, like a banana tree in the background. When I read this to our youngest daughter, I pointed out that bananas grow “upside down” and she was amazed at this detail. The parrot has a mind of its own, and although the jungle spirits instructed him to save himself, he goes against that advice for the heroic role of helping save his friends.

The book has a multicultural theme, of a tribal belief that is timeless in its values. I find The Little Parrot to be an ideal gift for a young child’s birthday and a valuable addition to school libraries and family collections.