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| When reading Annette Breckenridge's book with your child, you'll find they'll be begging to hear more. They will relate to the young boy Luke who is upset when his daily walks to school are disrupted by an overprotective magpie. This book is not only a touching tale, it will teach children about understanding and forgiveness. |
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(17 Feb 2010) - Luke's encounters with a magpie that is protecting its young, which is a story inspired by an experience Breckenridge's own son had, cause him to experience feelings of hatred, anger, fear and a desire for revenge. It puts the young nature lover in a difficult predicament - does he abandon his daily walks to school because of the aggressive bird, or does he face his fears?
When Luke finds the bird injured, his hatred quickly changes to empathy and he nurses the bird back to health. He no longer fears the magpie, he now fears it may die.
"I am sorry I hated you," Luke tells the magpie, "but you know we have to both live in this world and it's no good if you don't trust me to live here too."
Luke learns a further lesson when the magpie is healthy enough to be released and he momentarily considers keeping the bird in a cage. When his neighbour George suggests the magpie is probably ready to go home, Luke replies: "No. He's mine." However, he soon changes his mind. "He doesn't belong to me. He belongs to himself."
Breckenridge's book will appeal to readers on two levels - firstly as a story of a young boy who conquers his fears, works through a problem, develops resilience and finds forgiveness in his heart and secondly as an exploration of the complex relationship between animals and humans.
Children will relate to the story and Luke's sense of adventure.
Luke and the Magpie is available for order at any Angus & Robertson store Australia wide.
About the author
Annette Breckenridge lives in Gracemere, a small town in Queensland. She is the mother of two sons and a daughter, whom have all grown up and moved away from home. Her interests include gardening, painting and writing. Luke and the Magpie is Breckenridge's first book and it also includes her own illustrations, which will engage any young child.
About BookPal Australia
BookPal is the only professional publisher that offers global book distribution for self-published authors in over 25,000 bookstores across the US, the UK and Australia. The company arguably boasts the largest worldwide book distribution network for self published authors in the world. BookPal offers this service through a Print on Demand model to massively reduce the upfront cost for authors. For more information visit www.bookpal.com.au
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