Published: 1st February 2018
Publisher: Little Hare, an imprint of Hardie Grant Egmont
Pages: 32
Format: hardcover picture book (borrowed from the library)
RRP: $24.99
4/5 Stars 
This is a story about hope, kindness and redemption set in a grey dystopian world. When a great feather drifts from the leaden sky, two children recognize its extraordinariness and take it to the village for its protection. The villagers, however, want to encase it, upon which the feather loses its radiance. The children take it home and care for it through the night. In the morning it is again radiant, and when they set it free it leaves behind the first signs of blue sky and color. The ambiguous ending invites multiple interpretations about the effects of selflessness and kindness.
Set in a world where the natural world is all but gone, The Feather by Margaret Wild and illustrated by Freya Blackwood is an unusually dark picture book filled with hope.
When two young children stumble across a brilliantly white feather, they quickly find themselves in awe of its natural beauty and debate the best way to preserve it for future generations. Living in the aftermath of mass pollution and destruction, the sun no longer shines, the sky is no longer blue and the moon and stars are a thing of the past. Outside of human life, there is nothing natural that grows here. When the children present the feather to the townspeople they are excited but wish to cage its beauty behind walls in a museum or a bank vault, a point that leaves the feather to whither and brown. Disgusted the townspeople blame the children for their wicked ways, leaving the two children to nurture the feather back to health and let it free.
The Feather is an interesting picture book. There is so much to unpack here, that you could read it a hundred times and find different meanings each time. It’s powerfully poignant, subtle, and hopeful.
Margaret Wild’s narrative is pared back almost, giving only the barest of glimpses of the world they live in and the strangeness of this pure white feather. Freya Blackwood has used this to her full advantage, filling in the narrative gaps with visual aids and vector lines, pointing the reader to the heart of the story. Her images are dark, varying shades of sepia, greys and blacks with the exception of the two children who are in colour and the bright white feather. Despite the dull colour pallet and dark colour scheme, Blackwood’s images are full of detail, allowing the eye to roam the page endlessly finding new elements and meaning.
The Feather is one of a kind picture book. Openly dark in illustration style and climate, the story is one of hope and trust. It’s an optimistic look at the promise future generations can hold despite the damage already caused.
To purchase a copy of The Feather, visit the following online retailers:
Hardie Grant | Amazon AUS | Amazon US | Angus & Robertson | Booktopia | QBD
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