Reviewed by Jeanne
Previously, I reviewed Jessica Roux’s Floriography,
which is a beautifully illustrated book about Victorian flower language—a romantic
and/or secret way to send messages based on the plants used. In this book, Roux looks at the folklore
associated with birds. While the text is
brief, the glorious illustrations are indeed worth a thousand words.
Starting with Albatross and continuing through to Woodpecker,
Roux gives a meaning associated with a bird as well as some information. The content varies depending on the bird,
naturally. For example, for Crow Roux
notes they symbolize cleverness and retells the Aesop story about how a crow
figures out how to get a drink of water from a bottle and refers the reader to
the related Raven and Magpie. While the
majority of birds are familiar to North American readers, there are some
species native to other continents.
Similarly, the folklore comes from a variety of cultures.
The artwork is stunning.
The color choices tend to give the pieces an old-fashioned feel but are
frequently also dramatic. This is a splendid
browsing book, one in which the illustrations will command as much if not more
attention than the text.
I found this another wonderful example of Roux’s artistry and
love of folklore.
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