Martha

This is a touching story. I love the illustrations done by Gennady Spirin and have a number of children's books with his work. This books is quite different. The story belongs to him and his family and is told with a simple directness that will capture the heart and attention of the very young set. Spirin's young son finds an injured crow which is nursed back to health by the family. If you have ever had the pleasure of helping an injured wild thing, your memories will be stirred and your heart uplifted by this simple tale. The artwork is as simple and straightforward as the tale which is a bit of a switch for Spirin and a real pleasure for those of us who admire his brush.

This is a simple book, with few works, and a clean, straight story. You're not even sure at the end that everything has worked out. But the illustrations and the story touch and cheer the heart with their dear human beings and captivating crow.

I love stories about animals that were rescued and became part of a family. The illustrations in this book are beautiful. We got it for a friend who came to visit and her name is Martha.

This a wonderful story with gorgeous illustrations. I'm very pleased with my purchase.

My three and a half year old granddaughter couldn't get enough of this book. We read it several times to her. I loved the story and the illustrations!

Love the book. My 7 year old slept with it in the beginning. It's a short but very deep story. And art work of Spirin is just amazing

This is a great book. I use it every year in my classroom. I hope I can find where I put it!

This story took place in Russia, but could happen anywhere and at any time. For some, returning an animal to its natural habitat is hard, but sometimes it happens naturally. In this story, the author's family brings home a crow with a broken wing. The veterinarian thinks the bird should be put down saying the wing won't heal properly. The family is horrified and brings the bird home. They name her Martha and she becomes a treasured part of the family. Over time her wing heals and one day, startled, she flies a short distance. Soon she becomes an good flyer again and one day she takes off from the windowsill. She flies back and forth, but then disappears. At the end of the summer the author's son, Ilya, sees a crow's nest in a tree near the house and is sure the crow must be Martha. One can't know, but one can hope. This a realistic but sensitive story and it's told for a young audience. Farewells are part of life and this could be a way to start a conversation about an adopted pet. The pictures by a very talented artist are quaint and nicely portray a Russian family, their home, and friendly faces.

Very simple, but yet so heart-warming and moving true story about the crow with broken wing, who became a part of the family of Gennady Spirin, the illustrator. It will teach your kids to be kind and compassionate towards birds, even towards that kind of birds, which might seem not very pretty or loved by humans, plus far too many books about dogs and cats anyway. The illustrations are beyond words beautiful, I recommend each and every book which is illustrated by this artist, as not many of such talents in the world are left nowadays. Its a pleasure and a privilege to have part of Gennady Spirin's works at your own home, even if it is in a book format.

I have several books illustrated by the marvellous Russian illustrator Gennady Spirin-THE CHILDREN OF LYR and THE WHITE CAT being two examples. MARTHA is his newest contribution. Not only has he done the illustrations, he is also the author. In MARTHA, Gennady Spirin goes back a few years to when he still lived in Moscow-he is now based in the States. MARTHA is a fictionalized account of the time when Spirin's son Ilya discovered an injured crow while out for a walk. It's a slight and gentle tale made special by the illustrations-snow on a Moscow street, the artist's small flat, the crow herself wrapped up in bandages. A lovely book to be enjoyed by virtually any age-group.

Gennady Spirin offers here a real personal story full of emotion and illustrated once again by his unique style of watercolor and color pencils. A gem for any collection of children books.

Kind und verunglücktes Tier im Winter, eine Krähe - anrührend, feinsinnig, kindgemäß geschrieben mit wunderbaren Bildern von Gennady Spirin, Vorbild offenbar die eigene Familie, sehr lebendig!