The Magic Feather, written and visualised by Roma Singh, is a picture book for kids age four and above. Like most Tulika books, the book is laid out spaciously with large, clear text. The story follows a little girl as she walks through the forest, picks up a feather, and embarks on a magical journey through different worlds until she is reunited with her friends in the world of books. The book is unique in that it evokes multiple textures visually – newsprint, feathers, foil, cardboard – all combine to create images that leap off the page. Roma Singh has used these multiple textures and colours to create eye-catching visuals that tempt you to touch the pink foil lilies, the smiling paper frog, and the brown newspaper-stripped tiger.
What I was doubtful about though, is whether children would be able to easily identify with the little girl, who is the centre of the story. She is a rectangular piece of black cardboard, with newspaper hair and half moon eyes – and though she is delightful, I was left wondering whether kids would be able to recognise her as fast as they would recognise the owl, or the tiger, or the frog, which are simpler, easier-to-understand shapes. Or maybe that is where the mystery would lie, letting the child invent his or her own story and character for the cardboard girl with the newspaper hair.
The book is designed to a high degree of perfection – and I would expect nothing else of something that comes with the Tulika stamp. Though it would probably be a safer bet to introduce the book to the child, and see whether he or she takes to its unique presentation, before buying it.
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