STEVEN SPARROW & THE SHADE OF A GREAT TREE

Jones’ YA fable presents the adventures and misadventures of a cheeky, fledgling sparrow who decides not to learn to fly, preferring to walk through life instead.

Steven Sparrow is a storyteller who keeps his young bird audiences balanced on the tips of their talons in anticipation of his next tale. But today, his story is interrupted by his mother’s call to breakfast. Today is “Flying Day”—the most important day in a fledgling’s life, when young birds leave the nest for the first time and are taught to fly. There’s great excitement in the nest until Steven makes his life-changing announcement: “I believe that I shall walk, for flying’s not my bag.” And once Steven sets his mind on something, there’s no turning back—and no consideration that maybe his idea isn’t the best one. He climbs out of the nest, makes his way through the branches and leaves of the bush they live in, and walks off to explore the world. After his first day and night away, Steven meets another creature: a tiny mouse who’s the only survivor of the “Great Attack” of a ferocious cat that devoured the rest of his family. Mouse will become Steven’s best friend on the journey that follows, which includes their capture by a young boy who’s created his own zoo—a room filled with cages occupied by a variety of small critters. Jones’ sometimes-lyrical work concludes with a poetic composition. It’s an offbeat coming-of-age tale that’s charming and creative, but also likely to be a bit emotionally challenging for younger readers, containing, as it does, incidents of chilling violence and the pain of tragic loss. However, there’s also plenty of excitement and moments of delightful humor. Mouse, despite his trauma and anxieties, rises to the challenge of being Steven’s guide; he doesn’t indulge in the verbosity of which Steven is so fond, but teaches him through his actions and compassion to look beyond his own ego. And, ultimately, during a period of great despair and self-recrimination, Steven finds redemption and joy.

A touching and engaging tale with a positive message.