Changes

|title=Scarlet Ibis

|author=Gill Lewis

|publisher=Oxford University Press

|date=May 2014

|website=http://www.gilllewis.com

|video=QycT9GA4fOE

|summary=A poignant story of an unbreakable bond between brother and sister, imbued with the therapeutic power birds can have in soothing troubled souls. It teaches the lesson that you cannot judge a book by its cover and that understanding and patience are essential when relating to someone with Asperger’s syndrome.

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Scarlet and her half-brother Red have a dream - to watch flocks of Scarlet Ibises fly above Caroni swamp in Trinidad where her father comes from. They have a special bond. He is autistic and loves collecting birds’ feathers, feeling a sense of calm when he recites their names. She has caramel coloured skin while Red has white. They live with their mother in a flat but she has suffered from mood swings of late. Scarlet saves up to take Red on regular trips to the zoo where he feels safe. Red is fostering a baby Pigeon and waiting for it learn how to fly.

For more bibliotherapy try 'Kathryn Erskine’s poignant and beautifully observed [[Mockingbird by Kathryn Erskine|Mockingbird]], a memorable story of a child with Asperger’s Syndrome coping with tragedy and learning how to see her world in colour. If you would like to read more about the therapeutic power of birds in times of adversity look no further than [[Sky Hawk by Gill Lewis]] or the true and emotional story of POWs discovering the joy of ornithology, [[Birds in a Cage by Derek Niemann]].

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