Pandora

by Victoria Turnbull

Pandora lives alone, in a world of broken things. She makes herself a handsome home, but no one ever comes to visit. Then one day something falls from the sky  . . . a bird with a broken wing.       Little by little, Pandora helps the bird grow stronger. Little by little, the bird helps Pandora feel less lonely. The bird begins to fly again, and always comes back—bringing seeds and flowers and other small gifts. But then one day, it flies away and doesn't return. Pandora is heartbroken.       Until things begin to grow . . .    Here is a stunningly illustrated celebration of connection and renewal.  

Genres: Picture Books, Fantasy, Animals, Childrens, Friendship, Birds, Nature

36 pages, Kindle Edition

First published April 4, 2017

About the author

Victoria Turnbull is a critically acclaimed creator of picture books. After winning the 2013 Association of Illustrators New Talent Award, Children's Book category, her first book 'The Sea Tiger' was nominated for the Kate Greenaway Medal and shortlisted for the Waterstones Children's Book Prize. She has since written and illustrated 'Kings of the Castle', 'Pandora', and 'Cloud Forest'. She has also illustrated 'Is It Really Nearly Christmas?' by Joyce Dunbar and 'To the End of the World, Far, Far Away' by Ronda Armitage. Victoria's latest book is called 'A Home that Means the World'.

Reviews

[Jasmine from How Useful It Is · Rating 5 out of 5]

Read this book for my 16 months old daughter. I love this book because of the illustrations. So pretty!
——-/————-
I started reading Pandora on 3/3/17 as a bedtime story for my 5 year-old son and we finished it that same night. This book is so beautiful, especially the illustrations! I’m happy to learn from the back of the book that the illustrations were done in colored pencil and watercolor. How cool! This book is focused more in pictures than in words and my son and I loved to study the pictures. We hope the story were longer too.

In this book, readers will follow Pandora, a fox, who lives alone surrounded by broken things. She takes these broken things and makes them whole again like sewing up a ripped apart teddy bear. Her home is beautifully made of broken things but she never has any visitors. One day Pandora rescues a bird and gives it love and care. The bird recovers enough to fly about but always returns. One day he doesn’t return and as Pandora feels totally alone again, something magical happens. This is a beautiful book of hope, friendship, and nature. I highly recommend this book to everyone. I am absolutely in love with the pictures! I am dreaming to live in that tree house there!

Pro: illustrations, friendship, fixing broken things, bird

Con: not enough words in this story

I rate it 5 stars!

***Disclaimer: Many thanks to Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company for the opportunity to read and review. Please assured that my opinions are honest.

xoxo,
Jasmine at www.howusefulitis.wordpress.com

[sAmAnE · Rating 3 out of 5]

کتاب پاندورا و پرنده
یه داستان فوق‌العاده خیالی با محوریت حیوان‌دوستی و تنهایی و در نهایت رسيدن به پاداش...

[Roya · Rating 4 out of 5]

"پاندورا و پرنده"
تصویرسازی‌شو دوست داشتم و داستانش رو هم دوست‌ داشتم🥹
شاید ترک‌مون کنن ولی چیزهای باارزشی با خودشون به ارمغان میارن که زندگی‌مونو تغییر میدن🐈

[La Coccinelle · Rating 3 out of 5]

The pictures are cute, and the beginning of the story is sweet as Pandora rescues a little bird and nurses it back to health. But I was pretty underwhelmed by the ending. What? Why? How? I don't get it. If you're okay with just accepting things as they're presented, you might feel differently than I did. But the weak ending kind of makes me think that the whole story was just a vehicle for the illustrations (which, don't get me wrong, are lovely).

With a stronger story and a little more explanation, I think I would've liked this one more than I ultimately did.

[Sandra Deaconu · Rating 4 out of 5]

Căldură, empatie, generozitate; cuvintele acestea îmi vin în minte, când mă gândesc la simpatica vulpiță. Deși e o poveste foarte scurtă, Pandora are timp să ne dea în doar câteva fraze o lecție despre bunătate, prietenie, importanța acceptării că unele suflete pier din viața noastră și nici cele mai aprige dorințe și doruri nu pot schimba asta, despre puterea uneori vindecătoare a naturii, despre cum un simplu gest poate avea urmări importante și, mai ales, despre speranță. Câte lucruri putem învăța de la animale! Deseori putem învăța de la ele chiar să fim oameni. Recenzia aici: https://bit.ly/3g3Glwa.

[Abigail · Rating 4 out of 5]

Pandora the fox lived alone in a land of broken things. Although she fixed what she could, and built herself a cozy home, she never had any visitors. Then one day an injured bird fell to earth, and in the process of nursing him back to health, she gained a companion. When the bird leaves, Pandora is heartbroken, until the many gifts he has brought during his convalescence begin to bear fruit, and the land of broken things is transformed into a vibrant and beautiful garden...

Gorgeous pencil and watercolor artwork is paired with a poignant story about friendship, letting wild things be wild, and the transformative power of nature in British author/artist Victoria Turnbull's Pandora. I was reminded in turn of Australian Bob Graham's picture-book How to Heal a Broken Wing , with its message of compassion, and of American Pete Brown's , with its story of urban renewal through the creation of green spaces and gardens. Both of these themes are present in Turnbull's tale, but so too is a deeper theme of loneliness and the longing for companionship and love. A lovely, lovely book, one I would recommend to anyone looking for beautifully illustrated picture-books, or for children's stories addressing issues of loneliness, friendship, and caring for and healing the natural world.

[Cynthia · Rating 4 out of 5]

Pandora is a fox who lives alone amongst broken things that she collects and repairs. The world outside is void of color, but this isn’t true for her home and the objects she has breathed new life into. One day something else that’s broken lands in her path… only it isn’t a thing!

This is such a precious book!

Although there is text, even without it, the gorgeous illustrations communicate this sweet story beautifully!

This is the perfect preschool read that will be appreciated by both the audience and the reader!

[Joshua · Rating 5 out of 5]

It's easy to lose your hope when your perception leads you down a dark path, and you think everything's dead. This book was a beautiful story about loss, depression, death, and the redemptive elasticity of life. It always bounces back, even in the face of loss.

This book was a beautiful story about friendship and overcoming the pain of death. And the art is breathtaking.

[Figgy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Review to come.

[Anneke Alnatour · Rating 4 out of 5]

Cute, but rather simplistic story with an ending that is open to interpretation.

The illustrations though, are beautiful, and the boys really enjoyed it.

[Chadi Raheb · Rating 2 out of 5]

به هر حال «تصویرگری‌ محشر، داستان چرند» هم می‌تونه خودش یه جور ژانر باشه

[Mehsi · Rating 5 out of 5]

Ik zag dit boek in de boekenwinkel en werd verliefd op de cover, en toen begon ik het te lezen en werd ik verliefd op het boek.

Ik dacht eerst dat dit over iets als een Pandora's box zou zijn (gegeven de naam), maar in plaats daarvan gaat het over een vos die helemaal alleen op een gebroken planeet woont. Het vertelt ons over haar ongewone relatie met een vogel die zij heeft geholpen toen deze gewond was.

De planeet was echt vol met gebroken spullen, en ik vroeg me meerdere malen af hoe zij daar is gekomen, waarom ze niet ergens anders is heen gegaan, en of er nog andere personen waren op de planeet. Helaas lijkt het erop dat ze de enige is op deze grote planeet.

Ik vond Pandora echt heel lief, en ook geweldig dat ze de spullen op haar planeet probeerde te maken. Ik vraag me wel af waar ze alles laat. :P

Het latere stuk in het boek was echt zo verdrietig en ik moest even een traantje wegpinken. Niet alleen omdat ik het zielig vond voor Pandora toen haar vriendje er niet meer was, maar ook omdat het einde echt prachtig was. Wat daar gebeurde? Wauw. Zo mooi!

De tekeningen zijn prachtig. Ik vond ook de vele details echt mooi gedaan!

Echt een aanrader.

Review first posted at https://twirlingbookprincess.com

[Cheryl · Rating 4 out of 5]

Post-apocalyptic rebuilding fable. With the help of a friend, something new and wonderful can grow from debris. Like Wall-E, if I recall correctly, only prettier, and more concise. And of course, the name Pandora is from Greek mythology, obviously used here to symbolize Hope.

To those who don't 'get' the ending: The nest that the bird built had live plants and ready seeds in it, so, growth of nature after mankind has left only waste.

Recommended to certain of you, and you know who you are....

[Laurel · Rating 5 out of 5]

Sometimes someone you know has a baby and even though your own children are way too big for bedtime stories, you get to go out and buy one to give to someone small. Gorgeous book with a beautiful story. My teenage son loved the illustrations. I asked him if I could read it to him. He laughed and said, "no." So I read it to myself.

[Jillian · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very sweet and beautiful illustrations.

[SilverNediya · Rating 4 out of 5]

پاندورا، اسم قشنگی برای روباه
روباهی که شکسته ها را به زندگی برمی گرداند

[Klaudia · Rating 5 out of 5]

Inhalt

Die kleine Füchsin Pandora hat sich zwischen all den zerbrochenen Dingen, die bei ihr landen, ein kleines Heim eingerichtet. Hier flickt sie die kaputten Sachen, die sonst keiner mehr haben will – und fühlt sich doch trotz der Fülle der Dinge immer allein. Bis eines Tages ein gebrochenes Vögelchen den Weg zu ihr findet. Findet Pandora den Weg aus ihrer Einsamkeit?

Meine Bewertung

Ich muss sagen, dass sich der Bohem Verlag mit diesem außergewöhnlichen Kinderbuch direkt in mein Herz gestohlen hat. Meiner Mutter hat es leider nicht so gut gefallen, als sie es meinem Bruder vorgelesen hat, aber mich fasziniert die Geschichte um die kleine Füchsin Pandora sehr. Die Illustrationen, die hier in allen Facetten schimmern und teilweise auch doppelseitig angelegt sind, was das Buch zu einem richtigen Highlight macht, finde ich mit das Beste, was mir im Kinderbuchbereich bisher unter die Augen gekommen ist.

Der Verlag setzt das Alter, ab dem das Buch gelesen werden kann, bei vier Jahren an. Das finde ich aber tatsächlich für einen solchen Titel, der auch teilweise etwas düsterer ist und an dem ich auch zu knabbern hatte, zu früh. Hier würde ich eher von sechs Jahren ausgesehen, da man in dem Alter sicherlich schon mit Themen wie dem Alleinsein und dem Verlassenwerden in irgendeiner Form konfrontiert wurde. Gerade die Behandlung dieser Themen finde ich in Pandora aber sehr gut gelungen. Obwohl nichts allzu sehr beschönigt wird, wird auch gezeigt, dass es immer Hoffnung gibt und das Leben Einzug halten kann, wenn man es nur zulässt.

Gerade der Detailreichtum des Buchs hat mich immer wieder staunen lassen. Auf den Illustrationen gibt es so viel zu entdecken, und auch das Cover mit der Prägung ist schon ein richtiger Blickfang. Hier ist auf jeden Fall viel Arbeit reingeflossen, um das Buch zu einem stimmigen Gesamtbild zu machen, und ich mag auch das hochwertige Papier, das trotzdem reißfest und gut für Kinderhände geeignet ist. Allerdings finde ich gerade durch die Schönheit dieser Ausgabe, dass das Buch auch durchaus etwas für bibliophile Sammler ist, die schon etwas älter sind. Nicht nur Kinder werden an Pandoras liebevoll gestalteter Geschichte ihre Freude haben.

[Stefanie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Lovely through and through.

[Kelly · Rating 5 out of 5]

It's a soft, lovely story of a fox who is lonely. One day she makes a friend in an injured bird. She nurses the bird back to health.

Wonderful illustrations.

[Elizabeth · Rating 5 out of 5]

Beautiful illustrations and inspiring story!

[Megan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Can I live in this book? Thank you.

[KC · Rating 5 out of 5]

Beautifully illustrated tale of friendship and hope.

[معصومه توکلی · Rating 4 out of 5]

عنوان ترجمهٔ فارسی: پاندورا و پرنده

[Sarah · Rating 1 out of 5]

1. Look, she didn't find the hope.
2. So what, now there's no dump? How are people going to throw stuff out?
3. That bird is selfish. Made that tree for himself so he could come back.
4. Why she need pants?

[شیما · Rating 5 out of 5]

It was such a beautiful book. I often use children's book as a mean to fight with anxiety and hopelessness. This book helped me greatly.

[Zezee · Rating 3 out of 5]

I picked up Pandora on a whim at the library. The cover called to me, so I checked it out. As soon as I got home, I sped through it and decided that I didn’t like it. That’s why I read picture books twice. Because they are so short, I always speed through them and do not take the time to appreciate the story and really look at the art, so I never go with my first impression of a picture book. I always set it aside for a time and read it again when I’m more willing to give the story a chance.

On my second read, I began to appreciate Pandora for what it is: a sweet, quiet children’s picture book about connection, friendship, and renewal that focuses on a sad, lonely fox who cares for and befriends a bird. I like the gradual build up of hope in Pandora as her friendship with the bird renews her perspective on her life and surroundings. It shows how positive connection and friendship can invigorate a person.

Art:

I like the art, after all, that’s what got me to pick up the book. There’s a softness to it that emphasizes the tenderness in the story to communicate to the reader that this story is about caring for and uplifting others.

We get that softness from the mild tone of the colors, which, in the beginning, were neutral when used for background images so that those images seemed to all run into each other. The only spot of color was Pandora and later her friend, the bird, to show that Pandora did not care for her surroundings. As the story progresses, the colors spread to include images in the background and landscape and emphasize their shape thus showing that Pandora is healing as her friend does in her care. I loved that about the story — that we can intuit what is happening to Pandora from the changes in the illustrations, which makes the illustrations as essential to the telling of the story as its words.

I also think Turnbull was able to give a softness to the illustrations because of the art mediums she used. She drew them using colored pencils and watercolor, both of which are great at softening the tone of bright colors and easily blending colors into each other (well, in my limited experience with both mediums that tends to happen). I really appreciate that they include in the book the mediums used to create the illustrations.

Overall: ★★☆☆☆ 1/2

It’s a good story and it does a great job of including illustrations that help to tell the story. It’s one I’d recommend.

My star ratings are always based on my enjoyment of a story so though I thought this a good read, it didn’t do much for me, hence my rating. (And yes, I know I’m not the target audience.)

As posted on Zezee with Books.

[Juli Anna · Rating 2 out of 5]

Beautiful illustrations, and a decent attempt at poignancy, but the story was pretty lackluster for me.

[Andrea · Rating 3 out of 5]

I think this is a book you need to read more than once to appreciate the depth of the story. The illustrations are full of lovely details, and I can imagine a child wanting to spending time looking and exploring them. As a teacher, I think this book could generate discussions about nature, reusing and recycling, and also feelings of sadness and how sometimes it just takes time for things to get better.

[Jo Oehrlein · Rating 3 out of 5]

I like how Pandora is the only thing in color initially (the rest is gray scale). The bird that Pandora rescues (helps heal) brings color to Pandora's life in a truly unexpected way.

Pandora is a fixer of things in a land of brokenness. Pandora is also alone and lonely.

One day, she finds a hurt bird and takes care of it as its heals.

The bird gives her a present in return -- one that will stay with her and turn her environment into one of living things.

[Kelly Carey · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book has some sad and heartbreaking themes that may not resonate with every child. It may not offer the comfort of a cozy bedtime read. The message is pretty and poetic but also stark and possibly a bit scary for young readers.