This dream-like story of an enchanted prince—caught by a spell in the body of a green bird—begins with the introduction of nine curious sisters. Each has a different number of eyes, beginning with the oldest, who has nine, down to the youngest, with just one. The green bird proposes marriage to Mirabel, the two-eyed sister. Though her siblings mock her and her mother forbids it, Mirabel’s steadfast vision sees past the bird to a handsome prince, and she marries him! One by one, the envious mother dispatches her other daughters to the green bird’s palace to spy on who he really is. They are overcome with the beauty of their sister’s palace, and by the power of a sleeping potion the prince has provided to Mirabel. Only the littlest sister stays awake long enough to see the green bird sing in each window of the palace and then enter and change into a prince. Her discovery prompts the mother to set a cruel trap; Pájaro Verde is forced to leave on a long journey to sickness and oblivion. But Mirabel’s love seeks him out, even in the house of the sun and the moon, and in the end restores to him his marriage and his kingdom.
Joe Hayes is one of America’s premier storytellers, a nationally recognized teller of tales from the Hispanic, Native American and Anglo cultures of the Southwest. Joe lives in Santa Fe, New Mexico and travels extensively throughout the U.S.
Antonio Castro L. was born in Zacatecas, Mexico. He has illustrated dozens of children’s books, including Barry, the Bravest Saint Bernard (Random House) and The Life of Louis Pasteur (Twenty-First Century Books). He lives in Juárez. His son, Antonio, the designer of this book, lives across the border in El Paso, Texas.
