Switzerland
(French)
148
Zullo, Germano (text)
Albertine (illus.)
Les oiseaux (The birds)
Genève: Joie de Lire, 2010. – 69 p.
ISBN 978-2-88908-027-4
Bird – Human being – Flying – Moment – Transformation – Courage – Freedom
A red truck drives through an ochre-coloured landscape. At the end of the
road, the driver stops at an embankment to set free his truckload of
multi-coloured birds, who fly up and away. When he wants to close the trunk,
however, he discovers a very small black bird, who – out of fear or out of
apathy? – cannot quite decide what to do. The charming rapprochement between
man and bird that ensues lends both the power the fly. Germano Zullo’s quite
philosophical text on the power of one moment to effect transformation, is
extremely effective in its brevity and frequently creates clever contrasts
with the shining pictures of Albertine, which portray a poetic fable of
solidarity and freedom. (Age: 4+)