Charming story about an injured crow that comes to live with the author's family. Love the detailed illustrations, too. ( )

The Russian born Gennady Spirin remains one of my favorite artists/illustrators. His book Martha is based on a true story of his son and wife finding a crow with a broken wing. Told by the veterinarian that the crow would never fly again, Gennady's son Ilya brought the crow home, named it Martha, nursed and tamed the bird who then became an integral part of their family.

I plan to read all of Spirin's books that I have not as yet acquired. His work is mesmerizingly detailed, crisp and clear, leaving me to go back time and time again to study the images.

And, I will revisit many of my favorites..yet, all are my favorites.

In exquisite watercolor illustrations, Spirin catalogs the journey of Martha and her influence on their family. ( )

Nice stories, nice pix, but so what?  More time is spent at the vet's than learning about Martha's personality.  Nor do I sense that the family was changed by the event.  The story seems like just the kind of thing you'd talk about to pass the time on a train with a stranger or something... nothing that means anything real.  Ok, sure, we can imagine that the family learned about courage, or compassion, or loyalty, but Spirin doesn't offer anything like that; it's on the reader to do all the work.  So, if the reader invents the meaning, what did Spirin do?  Not much, imo. ( )

This is the second Gennady Spirin book I have read, I am in awe of his beautiful illustrations. He has a very unique style and I feel that his pictures truly pop off of the page. I also really enjoy his incorporation of his Russian culture in his books. This book is about the rescue of a crow, the crow has an injured wing and is told it will never fly again. Regardless, the young boy who found the crow, whom he names Martha, dedicates his time to the crows recovery and one day, the crow is able to fly away with ease. ( )

This is Gennady Spirin's story of the time his son, Ilya found a crow with a broken wing and took it home. The veterinarian told the boy that it would never fly again. The vet urged the boy to put the crow to sleep, but Ilya refused and said that the crow was going to fly again. In the end the crow does fly and the little boy is sure that she returned to their home when they see a crow nesting in their tree. I picked out this story because Martha (the crow) reminded me of my aunt a lot. The doctors told us she wouldn't live and urged my grandmother to put her in a home, but she refused. My aunt's brain has fully recovered, but she's in a wheel chair now. The doctors say she'll never walk again, but I know she will. Sometimes all we have to do is have faith and the impossible happens. This was an extremely inspirational story and I absolutely loved the illustrations!! A must read. ( )