Gwinna

A simple woodworker and his wife live in a cottage on a hill, wanting little except a child of their own. But moon after moon, no child comes. So the two lonely people strike a bargain with the mystical Mother of the Owls.

Yes, they will have their own dear child, but when she is twelve, they must give her to the owl mother. And so Gwinna is born. But how can the simple couple give up their precious girl, who plays with the birds and laughs like small bells ringing? As she grows, they refuse even to admit that she has wings.

Gwinna knows only that she is lonely. When she sees the faraway mountain and hears the harplike music in the wind, she is filled with longing. The day the owls come for her, Gwinna follows fearfully back to the grotto, back to the Mother of the Owls, who shows Gwinna her wings. Can she fly? Finally she can, and she flies by herself to the mysterious mountain, where she meets a golden griffin and a friend beyond all friends, who gives her the secret of the song in the wind.

Barbara Helen Berger's art and text blend exquisitely in this original tale of a girl who wants only to use her own wings, to know her own song. it is a tale of classic enchantment and unforgettable beauty, a tale that speaks to the heart.