David and the Phoenix (Illustrated) - Ormondroyd, Edward

. .

Résumé :
A Magical Adventure David knew that one should be prepared for anything when one climbs a mountain, but he never dreamed what he would find that June morning on the mountain ledge. There stood an enormous bird, with a head like an eagle, a neck like a swan, and a scarlet crest. The most astonishing thing was that the bird had an open book on the ground and was reading from it! This was David's first sight of the fabulous Phoenix and the beginning of a pleasant and profitable partnership. The Phoenix found a great deal lacking in David's education-he flunked questions like How do you tell a true from a false Unicorn?-and undertook to supplement it with a practical education, an education that would be a preparation for Life. The education had to be combined with offensive and defensive measures against a Scientist who was bent on capturing the Phoenix, but the two projects together involved exciting and hilarious adventures for boy and bird. A wonderful read-aloud book, adventurous and very funny, with much of the magic as well as the humor of the fantastic.

Biographie:
Edward Ormondroyd (1925-2021) was an American author best known for his children's fantasy novel David and the Phoenix. Born in Pennsylvania, he served in the United States Army during World War II and later studied at the University of California, Berkeley. His writing for children reflects a gift for blending ordinary childhood experience with myth, humor, and wonder, creating stories in which magic feels close enough to discover but serious enough to matter.David and the Phoenix became Ormondroyd's most enduring work and has remained beloved by generations of readers for its warmth, wit, and imaginative charm. The book draws on legendary creatures and classic fantasy traditions while keeping its emotional center in the friendship between a child and a magnificent, flawed, unforgettable magical being. Its appeal lies in the way it makes mythology personal, playful, and accessible without draining it of mystery.Ormondroyd also wrote other works for young readers, but his reputation rests especially on this classic tale of a boy and a Phoenix. For many readers, David and the Phoenix serves as an early introduction to fantasy literature, combining adventure, humor, danger, and tenderness in a form well suited to children discovering the pleasures of imaginative reading....