Florina and the Wild Bird

Florina and the Wild Bird

Florina lives in a valley in the Swiss Alps with her mother, father, and brother Ursli. One day, while walking in the mountains, she finds a tiny bird that has lost its mother, and Florina takes the bird home to care for it. The girl and the wild bird soon become best friends. She makes food for it using her doll’s tea set and gives it a special basket for a bed.

When the bird grows up, its wings grow larger and it wants to fly. Florina must decide whether to keep the bird or release it to fly back tp the mountains.

This beloved children’s story is from the Swiss illustrator and author of A Bell for Ursli.

About the Author

Selina Chönz (1910–2000) was a poet from the Engadine valley in the Graubünden mountains of Switzerland. She wrote the text for several Alois Carigiet books, including A Bell for Ursli, Florina and the Wild Bird, and The Snowstorm.

Alois Carigiet (1902–1985) was born in the Graubünden mountains in Switzerland. Alpine mountains became a central theme of his art and he became one of Switzerland’s most popular painters. He won numerous awards, including the New York Times Choice of Best Illustrated Children’s Book of the Year 1953 and the coveted gold medal of the Hans Christian Andersen Award in 1966.