Book Review : 'The Paradise Flycatcher' by Deepak Dalal

'The Paradise Flycatcher' is another brilliant one of Deepak Dalal’s books, but, this time with a twist. The people take on the book, with the birds catching up too. Rose Garden, the habitation, where it all happens is busy enjoying the breezy morning with the blue, clear sky above. 

Snowdrop, the white headed squirrel, is missing. And it is up to young Mitalee to look for it. Mitalee, who is so used to seeing Snowdrop sitting with all its friends, around the fountain has suddenly, disappeared. 

The usual gang includes the fork-tailed bird, an iora, the bulbul, the magpie robin, as well as the bee-eater, doves, sunbird and a tailorbird, and surprisingly, a couple of sparrows too. Among, all these Snowbird used to sit, but today it was absent.

The birds, which always used to sit at the Rose Garden, seemed to be making their way to the Leaf Garden. All in search of Snowdrop. Mitalee spots Chintu, the neighbourhood boy who is much hated by her. Chintu hated Snowdrop as much as Mitalee loved Snowdrop.

It is Mitalee’s suspicion that the squirrel was kidnapped by the boys. And it is, of course the birds’ suspicion too.

All of a sudden, the birds were discovered by Chintu and his friends, Arjun and Maitreya. The friends were invited by Chintu to attack the birds with catapults. Mitalee warns the boys of harming the birds. She also raises the fact that the boy had stolen Snowdrop, only to be disagreed to, by Chintu.

The next day dawned and Mitalee and the boys are at school. It’s a busy day for the birds too. They are all out searching for Snowdrop. Even the forest was not spared. To be on the lookout for the squirrel, the birds made their way among all the trees too.  

In the meanwhile, Mitalee is told by her friend, Alisha that Maitreya can be trusted. Mitalee is busy that night chatting with Maitreya, when he shows her a link. On opening the link, Mitalee sees Snowdrop being advertised on a website called, PetExotica. The squirrel was sold to the website owners, and they were paying quite the sum and had promised more money to the boys, on the sale of the squirrel.

Deepak Dalal

What would happen now? Will Mitalee trust Maitreya? Would the birds manage to discover, where exactly the squirrel was kept? Would the birds, including Mitalee and her friends manage to free the Snowdrop? Would Snowdrop see his friends, the squirrels and also his rescuers, the birds again in Rose Garden? 

The book is wonderful as ever. The suspense holds good too, as does the discovery of the squirrel. The illustrations by Krishna Bala Shenoi are brilliant too, in fact a little more exotic than ever. Three cheers to the Feather Tales team…

You can Buy the Book, right here.