It must have been almost two years ago, when I bought my buddha statue and my singing bowl, and the book, The Lion and the Little Red Bird, by Elisa Kleven.

Orlando and I had one of those great days — he stomped in the mudpuddles as we made our way to the art store, where we explored the supplies and ended up with fabulous markers. Then we went to the vegetarian cafe for lunch, where he sat across the booth from me, like he was my date! He stood on the bench and talked to everyone who walked by. No one could believe he was just two and half years old! We ate lunch together in the restaurant, and then we went to the new agey bookstore.

I picked out a singing bell and a buddha, and Orlando one-finger-touched all the water fountains. One our way out, we saw the kid’s book section. I sat down and started pulling books off the shelf. I read The Lion and the Little Red Bird once through, and sat there with tears in my eyes. What a simple and beautiful book!

I brought it home, where we read it often. I still almost cry each time! It is just the sweetest story of two beings who become friends. It is so simple. And Kleven’s illustrations are lush and lively collages made from a rich and bright pallette. The collages are full-page, and many pages have just a few words and many times the words are integrated into the collage. The collages are done in watercolor, paper, and yarn, so each page feels like it’s own three-dimensional world.

I’ve checked out a few other books by the same author-illustrator, but nothing has come close to the simple magic of this one. Most of the other books I have read by her seem a bit pedantic, and too wordy. Additionally, though the books are larger format, her illustrations are often shrunk down to take up less than half the page while the rest of the page is words. It would be one thing if the words were building a more complex story or world, but her storylines remain simple (and inspired), so the words end up seeming unnecessary.

However, Orlando did like The Apple Doll, and was captivated by The Magic Ball. Though these books were no exception to my complaints above, they have grown on me (I end up not reading all the words and skipping some parts). I am particularly disappointed that the author includes gratuitous “bad” characters (for example, the crow in The Magic Ball) in her other titles.

But, to wrap up with a positive note: The Lion and the Little Red Bird remains a rare gem. I really recommend it!