"This charmingly nostalgic rhyming picture book celebrates the magic of bird song and seasonal cycles while sharing messages around respecting the natural world."
Ruth Mary Flanagan’s The Last Song of the Mistle Thrush presents a stirring cautionary tale that’s both suffused in timeless charm, and very much of our times. Alongside inviting young readers to bathe in the glory of the natural world, it also shares messages around the need to treasure and protect planet Earth, and all its creatures.
The rhyming narrative takes the form of a cycle through nature’s seasons, enhanced by bucolic, folk-art-esque illustrations that speak to nostalgia-loving grown-ups as much as they do to children’s imaginations — think swirls of golden fields, generous daubs of autumnal leaves, and sweeps of snow-swathed scenery, all accompanied by the mistle thrush’s ever-shifting song.
Come year-end, the mistle thrush sings “of footprints in the snow/Of people walking to and fro” until “one dark day”, when its song is silenced by men with blades who “felled the trees that lined the glades”. Then, through a dark time of shame-filled reflection, after mourning the loss of the bird that brought joy to human lives, collective tears bring forth fresh life and hope.
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High in the treetops, a mistle thrush sings of the wonders it sees. But when the trees are lost, its song must change-to one of hope, resilience, and the urgent call to protect our world.
The Last Song of the Mistle Thrush is a heartfelt tale about hope, love and fresh starts, and the responsibility we all share for nature's future. Blending its evocative imagery with seamless rhyme, this enchanting picture book inspires children to appreciate Earth's simple gifts and to understand their role as future guardians of nature.
This is a poem for our time, captured forever in a lyrical style that reflects traditional childhood poems in a fresh and nostalgic way.
Perfect for quiet moments or anyone who believes in the power of words to linger in the heart. It is the ideal gift for children to treasure.
Shortlisted for the Hammond House International Literary Prize (2018).
Watch Author Ruth Mary Flanagan introduce her heartfelt tale.
The LoveReading4Kids Editorial Team have read and reviewed The Last Song of the Mistle Thrush and determined it is suitable for children aged 5-10 years old
The Last Song of the Mistle Thrush features in the following genres: Featured Books for 5+ readers, Featured Books for 7+ readers, Featured Books for 9+ readers, Recommendations, Animal Stories, Poetry Books for Children, Picture storybooks, Children’s picture books, Ecological and Environmental Interest - Fiction, Children's and Young Adult Fiction, Children’s, Teenage and Educational, Children’s / Teenage poetry, anthologies, annuals, Children’s: picture books, activity books, early learning concepts
The Last Song of the Mistle Thrush is available in Paperback
The Last Song of the Mistle Thrush was written by Ruth Mary Flanagan and published by Brown Dog Books
The Last Song of the Mistle Thrush has 32 pages
£8.09
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