The original tale of "The Golden Bough, a Fairytale Ballet for Children" is now available in this new Spanish edition. Translated by Lebohang Moore, Mariana Parada, and Mabel Tamasy, the Spanish edition has been updated with additional artwork and photographs from the balletic productions (1997-2003). Suitable for all ages, the book would be especially appropriate for Elementary Spanish Language Courses, Spanish Immersion Schools, and Spanish-speaking populations in the USA as well as for foreign markets where there are large populations of Spanish-speakers (Spain, South America, and parts of Asia). A little girl discovers a magical, golden bird trapped in a golden cage where it has been languishing for years, bewitched by a wizard in the distant past. The girl dares to free the bird from the curse and rescues the bird twice more: in the midst of a swirling snowstorm and when monsters attack. The bird promises to repay the debt someday. That day comes when the girl is faced with the challenges of a new school. She is tormented by bullies, confronts a cheating student, and is confused by her lessons. With the help of the golden bird, who gives her a pair of magic shoes, the little girl finds her way through the difficulties and discovers that a miracle has occurred: the tree has turned to gold, and the word 'Compassion' has been etched into the bough where the open cage hangs. The fairytale is a parable of the discovery of the inner life of the soul and the monumental struggle against both inner demons and outer circumstance to free the inner creative self from all that would entrap or congeal the soul or diminish the manifestation of a more comprehensive, inclusive, and creative personality. It is a tale to inspire every little girl and woman to open the door of self-limitation to discover her true inner worth and release her creativity into the world.
Wilor Bluege is a ballet teacher, choreographer, and author in Minnesota. Her books and two blogs cover a wide variety of subjects: humor, children's books and songs, memoir, balletic pedagogy and method, and observations on culture and the inner life of the soul. Her balletic training was primarily with Lorand and Anna Andahazy, Sylvia Bolton, and Lirena Branitski. In addition, she took accelerated master classes for eight years from notable ballerinas from the Kirov (Maryinsky) Ballet. Wilor has extensive teaching and choreographic experience, with dozens of original works to her credit. In addition to her writing, she continues to teach, create new choreography and stage a variety of material from the historical ballet repertoire.
