ANNA SZABÓ T.: The Spice Bird

with illustrations by Eszter Schall

A children’s spice handbook, in the guise of an adventure story

In Sparkle Valley, Hanna and Henne, the two mischievous children of King Pertu, are always bickering: every day all they have to eat is sunrays, and they’re fed up with it. But their squabbling comes to an end when a genuine threat appears: somebody wants to eat the Sun! The king’s faithful jester, the mysterious Spice Bird knows that the only way to save the kingdom is to make a hundred-spice sauce. They set out to hunt for the spices, and during their eventful journey, with a child called Sunbeam, they discover the colourful world of food flavours, at the same time learning about the power of friendship and faithfulness.

The Spice Bird uses Hungarian, Arabian and Indian myths and stories to teach children about spices. The uses and medicinal effects of the spices are carefully described, and some of the illustrations are done using montage technique with photographs of the plants and their fruit. Thus, the eventful story can also be used as a spice handbook.

For children ages 6 and older

“I have striven for a fusion style like that of world music, one which combines Uralic shamanism, Arabian tales, and Indian legends.” Anna Szabó T.

Product details
ISBN 978 963 1428 75 9
2015, hard cover
120 pages, 163×195 mm
2990 HUF