Resumen
Resumen de David y el Fénix
Para quién es
This book is for readers who love talking animals and creatures from myth, for lovers of gentle comedy and swift flights across the world, and for anyone who has dreamed of a friend with wings.
De qué trata este libro
David and the Phoenix is a fantasy novel for young readers by Edward Ormondroyd, told in ten short chapters, each with a title that begins with the words In Which. It follows David, a boy whose family has just moved into a house at the foot of a mountain. He has never seen a mountain before, and he cannot wait to climb it. High up, on a hidden ledge, he finds a creature from legend, the Phoenix, who is nearly five hundred years old and is trying to learn Spanish.
You get a funny, warm adventure with a gentle ache beneath it. The Phoenix is vain, formal and fond of sugar cookies, and it promises to give David a practical education. That means flights across the world to meet Gryffons, a Sea Monster, a Banshee and a Faun. Meanwhile a Scientist with binoculars, traps and a rifle hunts the bird, and the pair must outwit him. Along the way you meet plans that go wrong in splendid ways, and a friendship that deepens with every flight. Let us start where David does, at the foot of the mountain, on the day it first calls to him.
En este resumen
- 1A boy climbs toward a hidden birdFree
- 2A practical education begins with wings
- 3The Scientist arrives and a Plan forms
- 4Snares, sparks and a very loud gift
- 5A perfect day in a forgotten valley
- 6How the story is told and what it means
Idea clave 1 de 6
A boy climbs toward a hidden bird
The story opens on the day David's family reaches their new house. Before he goes inside, he walks to the backyard with his eyes on the ground, saving his first look for the right moment. Then he raises his head and sees the mountain, tall, blue and smiling. David has never seen one before, and he feels sure it has waited years for him. In his mind he hears a whisper, an invitation to come and climb.
But there is a house to unpack. The moving van waits out front, Dad pushes chairs around without a plan, and Mother says the rug should have gone down first. Aunt Amy hunts for the ironing board, and baby Beckie roars for her bottle. The afternoon slips away, so David must wait. At supper he asks to climb the next day. Aunt Amy mutters about landslides, Mother says be careful in a doubtful voice, and Dad sees no reason to say no.
The climb is full of surprises. Every rise hides what lies beyond it, so David finds strange red rock, a stand of aspens and a tiny meadow, each just past the last. After two hours he gives up on the peak, but a bare cliff with a line of bushes halfway up draws him on. He fights through vines, slips once, and pulls himself onto a long green ledge. A wall of red stone glitters beside it. Then he hears a sound that does not belong, someone talking to himself behind a thicket.
David wriggles under the branches and peers out at a bird bigger than a man. It has an eagle's shape, a swan's neck, a scarlet crest, a golden back, a silver breast and sapphire wings. It is reading a book aloud and muttering Spanish verbs. A bee sends David bursting out of the thicket, and he crashes into the bird. After a fierce moment the bird softens at the sight of his tears, and each frees the other from the tangle. It introduces itself as the one and only Phoenix, hunted for centuries from Egypt to Siberia, and now followed by a scientist with a gun. David begs it to stay, and it agrees, for cookies.
That’s 1 of 6 key points.
The rest of the summary, written and spoken, and the whole book: free to start.
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Who’s who
- David Bigelow
- David Bigelow is a curious, polite boy who befriends the Phoenix and becomes its eager pupil.
- The Phoenix
- The Phoenix is a proud, learned and slightly vain legendary bird who becomes David's teacher and friend.
- The mythical creatures
- The mythical creatures are legendary beings whom David and the Phoenix meet, each with distinctive manners and troubles.
About this edition
Every format is free to start, and print and large print are at cost.
- LengthAbout 31,000 words
- Reading timeAbout 2 h 5 min
- FormatseBook, large-print eBook, audiobook, 15-minute summary
- LanguagesEnglish and 10 other languages
Questions about David y el Fénix
What is David and the Phoenix about?
It tells of a boy named David who climbs the mountain beside his new home and befriends the Phoenix, a legendary bird. The Phoenix gives him an education through adventures, while a Scientist tries to trap it.
Who is the Phoenix in David and the Phoenix?
The Phoenix is a huge, bright-feathered bird from legend, nearly five hundred years old. It is vain, polite, fond of long words and sugar cookies, and braver and kinder than it likes to admit.
Is David and the Phoenix a children's book?
Yes, it is written for young readers, with a clear story, short chapters and a lively, funny voice. Its warmth and wit also suit older readers and families who like reading aloud together.
What creatures do David and the Phoenix meet?
They meet Gryffens and Gryffons, a witch on a broom, a Sea Monster, a Leprechaun, a Banshee who runs a shop, and a Faun. Each visit is a separate adventure with its own jokes.
What is the main message of David and the Phoenix?
The book values friendship, wonder and the freedom to enjoy a quiet day, set against a world that wants to catch and measure everything. It also treats tradition and destiny with gentle seriousness.