Mira Lobe was born in 1913 in the Silesia (that was a German territory by that time). He tried to study German Philology in Berlin, but her studies were interrupted by the Nazi laws against Jewish people. She migrated to Palestine, where she published her first book for children, in Hebrew. She came back later to Europe, together with her family –her husband was an actor and a theatre director – and established residency in Vienna, considering herself as an Austrian woman since then.
She published more than 100 books aimed to children and young readers, and they were translated to numerous languages and awarded with important prizes. All her work is full of human warmth and feelings about mutual understanding, tolerance and commitment to just causes.
Mira Lobe passed away in Vienna in 1995.
Using a poetic style in combination with a explosion of colour, this apparently simple story about birds and trees tells us about an apple tree confronted with other apple trees’ selfishness, and about its hospitality and tolerance to those “different, annoying being” –birds- , which disturb, dirty or bother the other trees …
A beautiful idea in favour of tolerance and coexistence.
Awards:
- Vienna City Award to the Best Picture Book
- Honour List of Austrian Children and Young Adult’s Books
- Contribution to German Award to Children and Young Adult’s Literature