My last blog post was about dancing, and even though it seems at first it has nothing to do with this post – I feel that it is a perfect fit and segue to what this post is about.
Sometimes children’s books can teach even the well-seasoned adult something new. Now, I actually heard about this book from a movie. What intrigued me about the book was first, whether or not it actually existed and second, the struggle that the film portrayed that the person had creating this children’s book.
The movie, which was inspired by true events, is called Unconditional. Now, although the movie’s plot isn’t a direct storyline about the journey of the children’s book, it is the events in the movie to which give heed to the plot in the book itself. The book, Firebird: He Lived for the Sunshine, is mentioned in the beginning and end of the film and it is actually the turning point of the film. But what caught me was the fact that the book itself wasn’t featured in the film. So I did what any English major graduate would do and I looked it up. Low and behold, the book is now real (it is co-authored by Brent McCorkle, the film’s director and Amy Parker).
Fast forwarding to the end of the Firebird – without revealing spoilers – the last page reads, “He still loved to bask in the sunshine. But more importantly, knowing that the sun was always there, Firebird had learned to rejoice in the rain.” Now, the word dance comes back to us here – and whatever that means to you is also another kind of beauty. Recalling my last blog where I mention “even in the midst of the ugly, of the terrible and unrecognizable moments, there is always beauty living amongst it”, this also alludes how even in the rain there is still light surrounding us.
Of course the Unconditional is a lot more theatrical in its production and how it chooses to portray significant plot twists that may not be so pertinent to the children’s book. But in the end it’s evident that hope is something that is alive in us all and just like a rainy day may feel a little cloudy in your heart and mind, it doesn’t mean that hope/light doesn’t exist inside you.
So all in all, this combination of movie and book spiked an interest in me because of the rarity and reality of the conflict we deal with between the natural, tangible and the intangibility of life.
You can check out Unconditional from BCCLS libraries. Several of Amy Parker’s inspirational books for children are also available from BCCLS libraries including Tiny Blessings for Giving Thanks and Tiny Blessings for Bedtime.
Written by:
Sherissa Hernandez
Adult Programming Assistant
Hoboken Library Staff Picks 
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