Talon the Falcon
by Deepak Dalal and illustrated by Lavanya Naidu
“Talon the Falcon” by Deepak Dalal and illustrated by Lavanya Naidu. Published by Penguin. A moving tale of a caged Peregrine Falcon and a daring rescue attempt at freeing him by an unusual group of birds along with a squirrel.
Shikar, a white faced squirrel is very different from the normal squirrels. He can understand the language of birds and talk to them too. He has been raised by Kabul the Bulbul and lives in Rose Garden. And he is very kind to everyone. One morning Shikar finds no birds around Rose Garden. He wonders where they have all disappeared since they are creatures of habit and should have been there at that time of the day.
While he is looking for the birds, Shikar hears a strange haunting song. It is the lament of a caged bird. A majestic Peregrine Falcon called Talon is crooning a sad song about the loss of his freedom. Peregrine Falcons are excellent hunters and the fastest creatures in the world. When a bird is locked in a cage, it is like a dead one with no wingbeat or heartbeat. Shikar decides then and there that Talon must be freed though he is a foe and all birds and squirrels are scared of Falcons like him. Not even an enemy deserved such a terrible fate. Read the gripping tale to know about how the extremely daring rescue attempt goes and whether Talon gets his freedom from the cage or not.
My eight year old loved reading the book with me. He was hooked to the story and was amazed by the kindness, empathy and courage of Shikar who wanted to help Talon despite all the risks involved to his own life for the sake of freedom. Ever since we read the book “The Parrot and the Merchant” when he was five years old, he has always felt that birds should not be caged. Flying is their way of life and we have no right to cage them is what he says. He got so involved in the story that he started singing Talon’s song too.
The birds in the story have been named so aptly. For instance, Mysun the Sunbird, Lovey and Dovey the Doves, Kabul the Bulbul and Longtail the Wagtail. We loved the gorgeously done lifelike illustrations and the fountain of Rose Garden resembled a fountain which we had seen in a place where we had stayed in the recent past. What a coincidence that we had seen plenty of birds there just like how it is in the story. We ended up wondering if the author had been to a place like that and got the idea of using it in a story :) This is the first of the four books from the “Feather Tales” series by the author.
Recommended Age
The book is apt for children aged 8+.
Reasons to Read
The book emphasises why caging a bird is not a good idea by showing us what birds feel when they are caged.
The book is a wonderful means of introducing the amazing Peregrine Falcon to children.
Where to buy from?
An independent bookstore, Funky Rainbow, from where I buy many of my books.