Description
Flight of the Hummingbird: A Parable for the Environment is the 2008 Greystone publication by Michael Nicoll Yahgulanaas with assistance from Wangari Maathai and the Dalai Lama. This 61-page book offers a traditional Quechuan parable about achieving larger goals, and power, through a series of small actions, and describes how while a terrible fire rages in a forest, a small hummingbird works tirelessly by carrying single drops of water to help put out the blaze. This retelling, enlivened by Michael Nicoll Yahgulanaas' Haida-manga illustrations, is suitable for all ages of environmental activists. Although environmental responsibility often seems like an overwhelming task, Flight of the Hummingbird shows how easy it is to start and how great the effect could be if everyone just did what they could. book also includes commentary by two individuals Wangari Maathai, the Nobel Peace Prize winner from Kenya who launched the Green Belt Movement, and His Holiness the Dalai Lama, who has spoken widely about his commitment to preserving the environment. Wangari Maathai writes the foreword, Wisdom of the Hummingbird; the afterword by the Dalai Lama is entitled Universal Responsibility. Artist Michael Nicoll Yahgulanaas offers the piece, A Single Drop of Water. A powerful little book that presents the importance of each individual's actions in protecting Mother Earth. Highly recommended.