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The Greedy Sparrow: an Armenian Tale

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The Greedy Sparrow: an Armenian Tale
retold by Lucine Kasbarian; illustrated by Maria Zaikina
Marshall Cavendish, 2011. Unpaged. Picture book.

The greedy sparrow. What a jerk. After he gets a thorn in his foot he sees a woman baking bread and asks her to pull it out. "With pleasure," she says, pulls out the thorn, throws it in the fire, and the sparrow goes on his way. Soon the sparrow is back, demanding his thorn. When the woman can't produce it, he demands bread. This is only the first outrage in the sparrow's crimes and misdemeanors. After a series of tricks and extortions, the sparrow has managed to trade up to a lute which he plucks as he sings a song of his exploits: "In place of a thorn, I got some bread. In place of some bread, I got a sheep . . . "and so on. But as he rocks out on a tree limb proclaiming his smarts, he slips, drops his lute, and gets a thorn in his foot. Too bad, so sad, we're glad. Great pictures and a fun, cautionary tale.
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Marsha Judkins said…
This review made me laugh. Thanks!
July 29, 2011 at 9:15 AM
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