Overview

Ahmed is a poor orphan boy who lives with a travelling circus, working for cruel Madame Saleem, the circus-owner. But his life is changed when he finds a beautiful egg in the forest, and brings it back to the circus. From the egg hatches a child, a little girl called Aurelia, a child who, as she grows, sprouts soft feathers that turn into wings. But Madame Saleem keeps Aurelia in a cage, to be her top attraction at the circus, and never lets her out. Ahmed knows he must free Aurelia the Feather Girl from her cruel cage or she will die. One night he creeps into Madame Saleem's caravan, takes the key to Aurelia's cage and lets her fly free. Now Ahmed's life becomes even harder, as the circus-owner takes revenge for losing her star attraction. But one night Aurelia comes to him in a dream and brings him a feather... and Ahmed begins to hope again. Dreams and memories are the key in this beautiful and fantastic tale of magic, enchantment and freedom from a master storyteller and illustrator of children's books.

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9781845079888

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Reviews

Must be one of the most beautiful picture books of the year. Its story of how orpham Ahmed discovers a golden egg which hatches into a little girl deserves to become a classic. Independent The colourful dramatic pictures will appeal to children of 5-7. Spectator Jane Ray's magical Ahmmed and the Feather Girl is gloriously illustrated with birds, stars, bunting and acrobats in sumptuous colour. It is about Ahmed, an orphan boy who is cruelly treated in a travelling circus, and his friendship with a winged girl hatched from a golden egg. An ambiguous ending, in the tradition of Oscar Wilde's The Happy Prince, describes how Ahmed finds freedom. Sunday Times Told in captivating language, this modern fairy tale has all the elements of a classic. Illustrated in watercolor and collage, the folk-art paintings beautifully convey Ahmed's servitude, Aurelia's magic, and the bond of their friendship. School Library Journal Enriched by exquisite illustrations in a patchwork of sumptuous colours: a portable art gallery indeed. Ham & High 4 Stars: Sometimes the best person to write a story is the illustrator and this is a case in point, for jane Ray has allowed herself free rein to decorate and embellish magical pictures in her own whimsical way. Each complete in itself, the images tell the story in a gentle unfolding fashion. There's a haunting pathos in the pictures and the words, a sadness which is steeped in the folk tale tradition, and the story touches us on a deeply emotional level. Like many folk tales there's cruelty, imprisonment and a yearning for love. But there's also hope, dreams and the splendour of flying to freedom. Books for Keeps The images are beautiful: there are vivid depictions of day and night, and autumn and winter, and readers will be drawn to the rich, bold colours and expressive characters. It is the combination of words and pictures that will draw children into the magical setting and the mysterious events that take place. Ibby Link a wonderful fairy tale like story ...a lovely book for the school library and for a child to own School Librarian Jane Ray has created a wonderful fairy tale-like story and her remarkabke trademark jewel-like illustrations only add to the magic of the story! A book to be shared with children from Foundations stage and one which will be enjoyed by those older children who want to read the story for themselves. A lovely book for the school library and for a child to own. School Librarian

Must be one of the most beautiful picture books of the year. Its story of how orpham Ahmed discovers a golden egg which hatches into a little girl deserves to become a classic. Independent The colourful dramatic pictures will appeal to children of 5-7. Spectator Jane Ray's magical Ahmmed and the Feather Girl is gloriously illustrated with birds, stars, bunting and acrobats in sumptuous colour. It is about Ahmed, an orphan boy who is cruelly treated in a travelling circus, and his friendship with a winged girl hatched from a golden egg. An ambiguous ending, in the tradition of Oscar Wilde's The Happy Prince, describes how Ahmed finds freedom. Sunday Times Told in captivating language, this modern fairy tale has all the elements of a classic. Illustrated in watercolor and collage, the folk-art paintings beautifully convey Ahmed's servitude, Aurelia's magic, and the bond of their friendship. School Library Journal Enriched by exquisite illustrations in a patchwork of sumptuous colours: a portable art gallery indeed. Ham & High 4 Stars: Sometimes the best person to write a story is the illustrator and this is a case in point, for jane Ray has allowed herself free rein to decorate and embellish magical pictures in her own whimsical way. Each complete in itself, the images tell the story in a gentle unfolding fashion. There's a haunting pathos in the pictures and the words, a sadness which is steeped in the folk tale tradition, and the story touches us on a deeply emotional level. Like many folk tales there's cruelty, imprisonment and a yearning for love. But there's also hope, dreams and the splendour of flying to freedom. Books for Keeps The images are beautiful: there are vivid depictions of day and night, and autumn and winter, and readers will be drawn to the rich, bold colours and expressive characters. It is the combination of words and pictures that will draw children into the magical setting and the mysterious events that take place. Ibby Link a wonderful fairy tale like story ...a lovely book for the school library and for a child to own School Librarian Jane Ray has created a wonderful fairy tale-like story and her remarkabke trademark jewel-like illustrations only add to the magic of the story... A book to be shared with children from Foundations stage and one which will be enjoyed by those older children who want to read the story for themselves. A lovely book for the school library and for a child to own. School Librarian

Author Information

Jane Ray graduated from Middlesex University in 3D Design. She began her career designing greetings cards, book jackets and posters. Gradually, however, she moved towards children's book illustration, especially fairy tales, mythology and folktales. Jane's first picture book for Frances Lincoln was Jinnie Ghost with Berlie Doherty, which was shortlisted for the Kate Greenaway Award. Her other acclaimed picture books include The King of Capri with Jeanette Winterson, Romeo and Juliet with Michael Rosen, and The Dolls' House Fairy and Snow White, which she both wrote and illustrated. She lives with her family in North London.

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