The Enchantment of Golden Eagle

Ella and her brother Leif live with their father in a wild place in the mountains. One day they find a golden eagle chick, barely alive. With the help of their father, they nurse the chick back to life. He grows from strength to strength and becomes the children’s friend and protector. But will he look after the children in their father’s absence, or will the call of the wild be too strong for the young eagle?

There are big and sophisticated themes in this story, in particular friendship, loyalty, betrayal, penance, forgiveness and reconciliation. There is drama too, with an angry curse as well as the ever-present threat of wolves.

The splendour of the golden eagle, the unforgiving mountainous terrain and constant danger from predatory wolves is lyrically portrayed in the illustrations. Both the text and the illustrations include a sprinkling of fairytale magic with a talking eagle, and magical creatures lurking in the sky and landscape for eagle-eyed readers to spot.

This is a beautifully written and illustrated picture book from an award-winning Australian writer and an acclaimed illustrator.