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Feather
How does this piano-loving featherweight of a girl respond when her brothers keep on making her do their chores?
She takes up boxing, of course! Maybe if she gets good enough, they'll even stop calling her Feather.
Readers will see Feather's determination and sense of justice as positive, transformative traits that help us on the road to becoming who we really are. and they will root for her as she learns to stand up to her brothers and proves that sometimes the best way to go after what you want is to leap into something new. Rémi Courgeon was born in Choisy-le-Roi, near Paris. He studied art at the École Estienne. He works as a children's book illustrator and painter, and has had exhibitions at home and abroad. He also works in advertising.
She takes up boxing, of course! Maybe if she gets good enough, they'll even stop calling her Feather.
Readers will see Feather's determination and sense of justice as positive, transformative traits that help us on the road to becoming who we really are. and they will root for her as she learns to stand up to her brothers and proves that sometimes the best way to go after what you want is to leap into something new. Rémi Courgeon was born in Choisy-le-Roi, near Paris. He studied art at the École Estienne. He works as a children's book illustrator and painter, and has had exhibitions at home and abroad. He also works in advertising.
32 pages, Hardcover
First published November 1, 2012
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 53 reviews
November 9, 2017
I'm so glad this won a NYT Best Illustrated award, because unlike the Caldecott, the NYT award is for art alone, not how well the art works with the text. I ADORED Feather's art, and I LOATHED the text. I'm glad the illustration gets kudos and I'm gonna just pretend I didn't read any words.
(Why? Boxing is viewed as means to an end -- stopping her family's bullying -- and SPOILER ALERT, Paulina dumps the gloves and goes back to piano-playing as soon as her family shows her respect. I'd rather read about a girl who actually loves to box, since girls already get the message that it's an unfeminine sport. I also disliked that Paulina's overeating brother gets called Blimp. Go ahead and call me politically correct if you wanna.)
But the art! Hip without being kid-unfriendly, so lively and kinetic, and a cute cat!
(Why? Boxing is viewed as means to an end -- stopping her family's bullying -- and SPOILER ALERT, Paulina dumps the gloves and goes back to piano-playing as soon as her family shows her respect. I'd rather read about a girl who actually loves to box, since girls already get the message that it's an unfeminine sport. I also disliked that Paulina's overeating brother gets called Blimp. Go ahead and call me politically correct if you wanna.)
But the art! Hip without being kid-unfriendly, so lively and kinetic, and a cute cat!
August 10, 2018
Feather, whose real name is Paulina, is the youngest of four children. She is always stuck with the chores because she can't beat her brothers at arm wrestling. One day, after Feather receives a black eye, she decides to take up boxing. Soon she is winning the arm wrestling matches against her brothers. They are stuck doing the chores. When Feather faces her boxing match, her family puts uplifting messages inside her boxing gloves. Paulina wins the match. She hangs up her gloves and returns to playing piano.
The vivid illustrations are tops. They are so detailed. The texts, originally translated from French, compliments the pictures. We feel Paulina's frustrations, fears and joy. I feel the message in this book was to strive to succeed at what you want to do. Feather wanted to box. She wanted her brothers to do the chores. Paulina wanted to play her piano. All these desires she succeeded at through motivation and discipline.
The vivid illustrations are tops. They are so detailed. The texts, originally translated from French, compliments the pictures. We feel Paulina's frustrations, fears and joy. I feel the message in this book was to strive to succeed at what you want to do. Feather wanted to box. She wanted her brothers to do the chores. Paulina wanted to play her piano. All these desires she succeeded at through motivation and discipline.
November 7, 2022
There's a whole novel in these few pages. Every character has a past, lessons to learn, and a future.
I ask you, please, to help the children you know spend some time with this, thinking about all the different things going on. Maybe even talking about them. Who are these people, who were they, what have they learned, what else have they learned, what is likely to become of them? Even the coach, even the other boxer who is offstage, not just the family... But don't get me wrong, it's not just about the discussable points. It's also interesting, even funny and exciting at times.
I ask you, please, to help the children you know spend some time with this, thinking about all the different things going on. Maybe even talking about them. Who are these people, who were they, what have they learned, what else have they learned, what is likely to become of them? Even the coach, even the other boxer who is offstage, not just the family... But don't get me wrong, it's not just about the discussable points. It's also interesting, even funny and exciting at times.
July 4, 2019
The daughter of a widowed Russian immigrant taxi driver in France, Paulina loved to play the piano. Unfortunately, her brothers, who weren't mean "exactly," always made her do the chores, leaving her little time for her passion. Getting fed up one day with the situation, Paulina takes up boxing, determined to gain the skills to beat her brothers and get them to share some of the housework. Discovering her strength - including a surprising left punch! - Paulina shows her family that she isn't the "Feather" they think...
Originally published in France as Brindille, this engaging picture-book about a girl who has to struggle a bit to find her place in her family, and in the world, was published here in the USA by the wonderful Brooklyn-based Enchanted Lion Books, which specializes in translated children's books. It was chosen as one of The New York Times' Best-Illustrated Children's Books of 2017, and Rémi Courgeon's artwork is certainly attention-grabbing. I liked how expressive his characters' eyes were - Feather's father's eyes, in the rearview mirror, or Feather's eyes themselves - and (of course) I also liked Feather's cat, who manages to get into some humorous scrapes in the scenes set in her apartment home. I also enjoyed the narrative, and thought it was interesting that the heroine takes up boxing simply as a means to an end, rather than as a vocation, as this was somewhat unexpected. When I considered it some more, I really appreciated the ending, as Paulina's true passion - the piano - was her motivation for picking up the boxing gloves in the first place, and I am impatient with the idea that girls and women can only be empowered by becoming fighters. Recommended to anyone looking for picture-books about strong girls.
Originally published in France as Brindille, this engaging picture-book about a girl who has to struggle a bit to find her place in her family, and in the world, was published here in the USA by the wonderful Brooklyn-based Enchanted Lion Books, which specializes in translated children's books. It was chosen as one of The New York Times' Best-Illustrated Children's Books of 2017, and Rémi Courgeon's artwork is certainly attention-grabbing. I liked how expressive his characters' eyes were - Feather's father's eyes, in the rearview mirror, or Feather's eyes themselves - and (of course) I also liked Feather's cat, who manages to get into some humorous scrapes in the scenes set in her apartment home. I also enjoyed the narrative, and thought it was interesting that the heroine takes up boxing simply as a means to an end, rather than as a vocation, as this was somewhat unexpected. When I considered it some more, I really appreciated the ending, as Paulina's true passion - the piano - was her motivation for picking up the boxing gloves in the first place, and I am impatient with the idea that girls and women can only be empowered by becoming fighters. Recommended to anyone looking for picture-books about strong girls.
November 29, 2017
Paulina is a pianist but her brothers bully her and nickname her "Feather." Fed up with them, she decides to take up boxing, and trains until she is better than them and can win the matches that determine who does the chores in their home. I liked the story and her determination, but it felt a little disjointed. For example, we don't see any of the scenes from the championship match Paulina trains for; there's just a big, empty red page telling us "Paulina put everything she had into her left...and she won!" Perhaps the author's point is that the match is not the real crux of the story, but it fell flat. A lot of the little details were poignant, realistic, or something that a less creative illustrator might not draw attention to - her cat, the metronome from her piano, the notes her brothers stuck into her boxing gloves. Very original and colorful artwork. A New York Public Library Best Illustrated Children's Book for 2017.
January 16, 2018
Loved the illustrations but found the story a little strange. A young girl is being beaten up by her older brothers (she has a black eye in the beginning but doesn't tell her father how it happened!) and is being forced to do their chores since she is the smallest so she takes up boxing to learn how to be more assertive and stand up to her brothers. Once they learn she can take them, they start doing their chores, leave her alone, and she quits boxing and goes back to playing the piano.
See? Weird.
See? Weird.
July 1, 2017
Feather needs to prove a point. She puts her mind to it, becomes a boxer, then goes back to her beloved piano.
May 2, 2018
Younger siblings usually have to put up with the most nonsense in the household; getting beat up by their older siblings, getting suckered into doing chores, constantly getting treated like a baby, and the list goes on (I know this because I am the oldest of four). Feather, the youngest sibling of her brothers, is constantly stuck doing the dirty work in the household because she cannot beat her older brothers in an arm wrestling match. Tired of being at the bottom of the totem pole, Feather decides to take a stance to stop the hazing by taking up boxing! Somewhere along the story, she receives a black eye that Courgeon never reveals who it was from. Feather takes her training to another level after beating her brothers out for the dirty chores. We later on find out her mother is out of the picture, and her father is an immigrant from Russia who is never around for the family always working. She had a bigger point to prove and decides to fight in her first boxing match. Feather decides to retire after her victory. Courageon's message through Feather was to never give up no matter what adversity you are facing. His poster-like sketches were extremely intriguing and pleasing for the readers that awarded himself the New York Best Illustrated Children's Book.
November 11, 2018
Beautifully illustrated, a powerful tale of a girl's right to choose and the constant fight for that right. The ending is abrupt which robs it of being a classic.
October 8, 2019
This is a beautifully illustrated story about a girl 'Feather' who is bought up in a family of all males and is picked on by her brothers. In order to prove she is not weak after coming home one day with a black eye, and takes up boxing. After intense training she wins a fight at a competition but also wins respect from her brothers and goes back to playing the piano she has always had a passion for. A powerful book which shows children you can strive to succeed, even if it is something not gender-stereotypical.
October 7, 2019
A book about a girl trying to find her place as a female in a largely male world. Feather teaches us that you don't have to be a man to be strong and powerful :)
January 7, 2019
Feather's family, a father and three older brothers, emigrated from Russia and now live in France. With dad no longer working in the Russian mines and driving a taxi for ten hours every night instead and no mother around, Feather finds herself bullied into doing all the housework by her three older, bigger brothers. Oleg adores football, Ivan eating and Vlad lives to learn. In the time that she has, Feather loves to play the piano.
Yet when her father notices his daughter sporting a black eye Feather decides enough is enough and, taking her future into her own fists, she begins to box. Relentlessly, she trains, wins more fights against her bothers and boxes competitively only to find, when she succeeds and has gained the respect and admiration of her siblings, that the piano she lived so passionately for, calls her again.
Feather is a great character. Strong, determined, willing to take a stand against the dominant men in her family. The artwork itself is outstanding with strong, stand-out colours and lines and presented in a portrait format which is tall and inviting and striking.
Yet when her father notices his daughter sporting a black eye Feather decides enough is enough and, taking her future into her own fists, she begins to box. Relentlessly, she trains, wins more fights against her bothers and boxes competitively only to find, when she succeeds and has gained the respect and admiration of her siblings, that the piano she lived so passionately for, calls her again.
Feather is a great character. Strong, determined, willing to take a stand against the dominant men in her family. The artwork itself is outstanding with strong, stand-out colours and lines and presented in a portrait format which is tall and inviting and striking.
October 21, 2020
Feather is the only girl in her family, who plays the piano. She had 3 older brother and a father. Her name is Paulina but she is called Feather because she loses all the fights about whose going to do the chores and in the end she does all the chores.
One day her father came home to find Feather with a black eye and from that day on she started to train in boxing. She grew strong and more powerful and started to do less chores. Her name was no longer Feather and her family went back to calling her Paulina.
Once she had her boxing match and won, she never put her boxing gloves on again and played that piano
I loved that this book broke the gender stereotype that all girls are feathers and that they will always lose in a fight. Paulina was fed up by getting beaten by her brothers everyday so she took up boxing and the tables turned. She started to beat up her brothers and did not have to do any more chores.
My favourite character is Paulina as she learnt that she doesn't need to be a feather. She broke the stereotype and never lost. She reminds me of all these strong influential women who broke the stereotypes about women; Rosa Parks, Anna Lee Fisher, Nina Simone and many more.
One day her father came home to find Feather with a black eye and from that day on she started to train in boxing. She grew strong and more powerful and started to do less chores. Her name was no longer Feather and her family went back to calling her Paulina.
Once she had her boxing match and won, she never put her boxing gloves on again and played that piano
I loved that this book broke the gender stereotype that all girls are feathers and that they will always lose in a fight. Paulina was fed up by getting beaten by her brothers everyday so she took up boxing and the tables turned. She started to beat up her brothers and did not have to do any more chores.
My favourite character is Paulina as she learnt that she doesn't need to be a feather. She broke the stereotype and never lost. She reminds me of all these strong influential women who broke the stereotypes about women; Rosa Parks, Anna Lee Fisher, Nina Simone and many more.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
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November 9, 2022Paulina is tired of being called Feather, and she's tired of having to do most of the chores because her family fights each other to see who will do chores-- and she has 3 older and stronger brothers. She'd rather play the piano, but she doesn't have time.
One day she comes home with a black eye. When asked about it, snaps, and takes up boxing lessons instead. Turns out she is pretty good at it, and she starts to gain the respect of her brothers and father. and they stop calling her Feather so much.
On the day of the big match, they leave encouraging notes and a picture of her deceased mom in her boxing gloves. She wins her big match, and then gives up boxing and goes back to playing piano, saying she finds it worthwhile.
Ok, brave girl, hard working girl, sees a problem in her life and solves it, but WTF her family?!
She gets into fights (it's never clear who gave her the black eye), has to fight with her brothers (ok,, it's depicted as play fighting, but...) and asks repeatedly to be called by her proper name-- and not just her brothers BUT HER SURVIVING PARENT blows her off. They only respect her when she can fight. What the heck?
One day she comes home with a black eye. When asked about it, snaps, and takes up boxing lessons instead. Turns out she is pretty good at it, and she starts to gain the respect of her brothers and father. and they stop calling her Feather so much.
On the day of the big match, they leave encouraging notes and a picture of her deceased mom in her boxing gloves. She wins her big match, and then gives up boxing and goes back to playing piano, saying she finds it worthwhile.
Ok, brave girl, hard working girl, sees a problem in her life and solves it, but WTF her family?!
She gets into fights (it's never clear who gave her the black eye), has to fight with her brothers (ok,, it's depicted as play fighting, but...) and asks repeatedly to be called by her proper name-- and not just her brothers BUT HER SURVIVING PARENT blows her off. They only respect her when she can fight. What the heck?
March 26, 2018
Courgeon's writer-illustrator effort is stronger on the latter - with kinetic and mature illustrations that move the reader through the text (I especially loved how the first letter of each page was mimicked in an object, like a "T" seen in a white tee hanging to dry or an "A" in a wooden metronome). The art didn't feel cutesy but popped with gusto, which isn't easy in this genre. I also applaud Courgeon's ability to create a dimensional protagonist, which goes missing in a lot of children's books these days. I have a few qualms about the plot, as the girl power theme gets a little muddled--but "Feather" is certainly worth the time.
April 13, 2018
The story centers around Paulina, the youngest child and only girl in a family of boys. Her brothers call her"Feather", because they think she is weak. She loves to play the piano but doesn't get much time to practice because of the chores she has to do around the house. She and her brothers fight to decide who has to do the household chores and she always loses, so ends up having to do most of the work around the house. Until she decides to take up boxing.
I like the artwork. I thought the story was just okay.
I like the artwork. I thought the story was just okay.
January 31, 2018
Look beyond the tired gender stereotypes and meet Paulina and her family. She is treated as a small, delicate, fragile person by her father and much older brothers. However the layers lie in the characters' realization that Paulina is more than her exterior. She believes in herself and her family of men in turn believe in her also. Her final choice is hers and I love that it is left to her. this one is a keeper.
February 11, 2018
Such a unique story - Feather loves to play the piano in a houseful of rowdy brothers, but when she shows up with a black eye one day (she won't tell her day who gave it to her), she's finished with the piano and takes up boxing. This would be the perfect book for a character study! I would love to read more about Feather - this is one of those picture books that I would like to see become a whole middle grade novel!
March 23, 2018
There is a stunning beauty and practicality on how a girl can grow up without staying focused on the problem, in which Mr. Courgeon figures out how to express in this book. This might be one of the simplest, yet strongest plots for a picture book I have seen in awhile. Do not expect any great twist or turns, just a straightforward telling of how a girl established her place within the family and even the future.
April 4, 2019
Paulina, called Feather by her brothers, ends up doing all of the chores in the house because she loses fights to her older brothers. She would much rather be playing the piano. So she decides to take up boxing to be able to beat her brothers. She trains and trains and eventually her brothers end up doing all of the housework. After she wins her first real fight she gives up boxing for good and goes back to playing the piano.
A sweet story of tenacity.
A sweet story of tenacity.
July 6, 2020
I was surprised that she gave up boxing at the end. I like that the story doesn't necessarily follow the usual tropes relative to the "girls can do anything" message. But it actually reinforces the message better because Paulina wanted to box for awhile, and then she didn't. And that approach to life by girls/women isn't necessarily supported by modern culture as much as it is for men. Hmm. I guess there's a little more to this book after all. Let's make that 3 star rating 4 stars instead.
February 2, 2018
Story of a girl who is bullied by her bigger brothers, who takes up boxing to show them who’s boss. Her heart is never really into the sport and she only does it so they’ll leave her alone. I am HERE for girl power but this seemed off, like violence is the answer. Not a theme I liked reading to my daughter. Nice illustrations, though.
January 8, 2019
This is really a great little book. The illustrations are lovely. It is a little book about boxing, but there are no villains."Feather" overcomes her obstacles and does so in a way that she doesn't have to sacrifice her essence. She gets tough, punches, plays piano, and fights to be herself. Lovely little book.
November 25, 2017
Feather is sick of being the weakest in a family of all guys, so she trains as a boxer. After she wins her first fight, she retires and continues to play piano, now with considerable respect from her Dad and brothers. Page layouts, text placement, and unique illustrations make this extra special.
December 22, 2017
Feather is a small, piano-playing girl in a rough-and tumble household of males. On day, she decides she's had enough.
Sometimes, people don't show love the way you need them to, but they still love you.
Sometimes, people don't show love the way you need them to, but they still love you.
December 29, 2017
Not sure why I liked this book so much, but I thought it touched on so many themes to talk about, immigration, gender identity. The illustrations really had me, especially the piano that looks like the letter P for Pauline (Feather).
January 26, 2018
A nice read-aloud. Kids enjoy the bold illustrations and fast-paced story. Many kids are surprised at the end — have them think about why she took up boxing in the first place, did she accomplish her goal, and what was her true passion all along?
September 24, 2018
I love the sparse beauty of this book. What seems simple at first glance provides so many little details to think about. I can see this as an excellent book to read with a child, focusing on more details from the pages.
October 7, 2019
A book full of female empowerment and find your place as a young girl in a family and world full of men. The message at the end of the book, that just because you can fight, doesn’t mean you should, is really powerful and something that can resonate with children and adults alike.
January 11, 2020
The illustrations are gorgeous; I could look at them for hours and admire their color, balance, details, etc. The story, however, was too disjointed. I think a lot of her growth was lost, leaving me feeling flat at the end.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 53 reviews