This is the situation Claude, Shelby, William and Maya find themselves in when Claude comes upon a red feather at the seaside. It's the most beautiful thing he has ever seen, so he plays with it all by himself.
But then Claude gets hungry. Shelby wants the feather for herself, so she offers to trade an entire watermelon for it. Reluctantly, Claude agrees.
And so it goes on, each child wanting the feather for themselves, and finding something to trade with the current 'owner' so that they can take possession.
The end result, of course, is that the friends all find themselves alone. No one is playing with anyone else. But perhaps there's another way. One where all the friends can play with the feather … together.
This is a very simple story. The text on each page is short and the vocabulary is easy enough for even the youngest readers to follow. With the exception of the red feather, the colour palette is soft and gentle, allowing the feather to stand out on every page. It's a cleverly constructed tale with an important lesson in social skills.
Title: The Red Feather
Author: Ben Kitchin
Illustrator: Owen Swan
Publisher: New Frontier Publishing, $24.99 RRP
Publication Date: July 2015
Format: Hardcover
ISBN: 9780957988439
For ages: 3+
Type: Picture Book
