The White Ravens Database

Presented by   Internationale Jugendbibliothek / International Youth Library

German / Germany

Ein Käfig ging einen Vogel suchen

(A cage went in search of a bird)

Hensgen, Andrea (text)
Zaeri-Esfahani, Mehrdad (illus.)
München: Knesebeck, 2022. – [40] p.
ISBN 978-3-95728-438-9

Freedom  | Bird  | Fable  | Parable  | Picture book

Reading age: 5+

White Ravens issue: 2022

OPAC

A cage needs to house a bird. The cage knows that and calls out searching for an inhabitant. The birds laugh at him, because why would anyone voluntarily exchange their life of freedom for one behind bars? The cat, on the other hand, is rubbing its paws with glee; naturally, a bird in a cage will be a much easier prey. When Kostja lands, everyone holds their breath. What is going to happen? Well, Kostja hops into the cage, but things don’t turn out exactly as expected: Both the cat and the other birds are left flabbergasted, because Kostja simply flies away WITH the cage. Ha! Inspired by a well-known Franz Kafka aphorism, after which this book is named, Andrea Hensgen tells a story full of surprises, volition, and freedom. Mehrdad Zaeri’s pictures truly assert their importance, too. The illustrator has them extend across double spreads; he employs clear contours and structuralising lines, playing with contrasting proportions and coloured planes. [IG]