Firebird
Saviour Pirotta, author
Catherine Hyde, illustrator
Templar Books

Firebird is a wondrous picturebook retelling of the classic Russian folktale that inspired the world-famous ballet. A mysterious bird with feathers like flames has been eating King Vaslav's golden-skinned apples each night; young prince Ivan sets out to bring the thief to justice. Fortunately, Ivan befriends the strong, magical, and mysterious Grey Wolf; in the course of his quest, Ivan sometimes behaves foolishly but nevertheless falls deeply in love with a princess from a faraway land. A fairytale ultimately ending in an act of pure compassion, Firebird is heartwarmingly brought to life by the evocative paintings of Catherine Hyde, and highly recommended especially for children's library picturebook collections.