I celebrate this idea of the importance of the personal journey, accomplished in some way with others, as a fortifying and essential element to the world. I like the way the challenges that this trio encounters are not minimized or skipped over in some way. It’s very lifelike, this ebb and flow of confidence and doubt among the characters: “That you don’t trust your own strength doesn’t mean I don’t have any left. It also doesn’t mean you can’t trust mine.”
I’ve included this book in my summer picks list because it’s about family – not just our families of origin, but those we choose to have accompany us in our lives. It’s also a book that’s suitable for practically all ages: The storyline is engaging and operates on so many different levels, yet remains accessible to anyone, with lots of thought-provoking insights that invite reflection from the reader. I think part of what makes the larger concepts more digestible is the fact that the characters are all animals. I can identify the way I want to.
We need each other; it’s such a sweet reminder: “Even if he found the feathers, what then? It was hard for him to remember how much they meant to him when they appeared in his dream. One thing was certain: If he hadn’t found Grey and Krieg, he would not have come as far as he did. And even more, the friendship between them was what truly made all this worthwhile. It was more than he could have ever hoped to find.”
The Three Feathers is available throughout the Hudson Valley as well as digitally. For more information, visit https://thethreefeathers.com.
Check back next week for more things to do with the kids this summer.
Erica Chase-Salerno celebrates Hudson Valley summers in New Paltz and beyond with her husband Mike and their two children: the inspirations behind hudsonvalleyparents.com.
