Synopses & Reviews
Meet two unusual friends. Lark is very small, and Ostrich is very big. Lark sings from his perch on a tree, but Ostrich is silent. The friends spend their days together, nibbling at their meals, surrounded by a chorus of birdsong. Then comes the day when Ostrich finally finds his voice. It booms across the grassland, and suddenly Lark sees his friend in a new light. This unique picture book about an unlikely friendship is the result of an inspired collaboration between the celebrated poet Marilyn Nelson and the San artists of Botswana. Each scene is stunningly interpreted in oil paints on canvas by a different artist and conveys the dramatic beauty of southern Africa's wildlife and landscape. The author's proceeds from the book will be used to support the artists of the Kuru Art Project in Botswana.
Synopsis
Ostrich and Lark spend their days on the grasslands of southern Africa surrounded by a chorus of birdsong. From his perch in a tree Lark joins the chorus, while below Ostrich is silent. Then comes the joyful day when Ostrich finds his voice. This picture book about an unlikely friendship is the result of collaboration between the award-winning poet Marilyn Nelson and the San artists of Botswana. The story, which captures the feel of a traditional African folktale, is brought to life with vibrant illustrations inspired by the ancient rock paintings of the San peoples ancestors.
The authors proceeds from this book will be used to support the San artists of the Kuru Art Project in Botswana.
About the Author
Marilyn Nelson is the author of The Freedom Business, Fortune's Bones, and Carver: A Life in Poems, among other titles. She is a National Book Award finalist, a Newbery Honor Book winner, and a Boston Globe-Horn Book award winner. She lives in East Haddam, Connecticut.The San were the first people of Southern Africa. Their way of life is documented in rock paintings that date back thousands of years. The Sans Artist are a part of The Kuru Art Project in Botswana. An association formed in 1990 as part of a family of organizations dedicated to empowering the San with cultural revival and modern survival techniques. The artists create contemporary art with no formal art lessons to influence their own innate abilities using different techniques: linocuts, lithographs, oil on canvas, and more.