REVISED EDITION!

“The telling is stately, with a steady, oral cadence. The dappled paintings offer field guide–worthy images of the bird characters and depict the Good Spirit with brown skin and long, straight black hair. Lovely.”

--Kirkus Reviews

Always be honest so you won’t have to ever feel shame.

This story, steeped in the Mohawk tradition, recounts the legendary origins of the enchanting song of the hermit thrush. It provides a fresh, yet traditional way to teach the timeless value of honesty. 

Long ago, when the birds had no songs, only man could sing. When the Great Spirit walked on the Earth, he noticed a great silence. He realized the birds had no songs. He devised a great game: he told the birds whoever could fly the highest would receive a very beautiful song. But not all the birds were honest. In his desire to win the game, the small hermit thrush jumped on the back of the great eagle. The eagle flew higher than any of the birds; but when he came back to land, the Great Spirit proclaimed that the hermit thrush had flown the highest, since he was on the back of the eagle.
Hermit Thrush was awarded a beautiful song. But in his shame for not being honest, he flew deep into the woods. To this day, you may hear the lovely song of the hermit thrush –- but you may not ever see him.