In a village far away, deep in a valley, all the animals and birds disappeared some years ago. Only the rebellious young teacher and an old man talk about animals to the children, who have never seen such (mythical) creatures. Otherwise there s a strange silence round the whole subject. One wretched, unhappy little boy has dreams of animals, begins to whoop like an owl, is regarded as an outcast, and eventually disappears. stubborn, brave little girl called Maya and her friend Matti, are drawn to explore in the woods round the village. They know there are dangers beyond and that at night, Nehi the Mountain Demon comes down to the village. But as they explore further, they start to see or imagine flying shadows and noises. In a far-off cave, they find the vanished boy, content and self-sufficient. Eventually they find themselves in a beautiful garden paradise full of all kinds of animals, birds and fish - the home of Nehi the Mountain Demon. The Demon is a pied piper figure who stole the animals from the village. He, too, was once a boy in the village, but he was different, mocked and reviled, treated as an outsider and outcast. his is his terrible revenge, one which has p

Author Biography

Born in Jerusalem in 1939, Amos Oz is the internationally acclaimed author of many novels and essay collections, translated into over 30 languages, most recently his brilliant semi-autiobiographical work, A Tale of Love and Darkness. He has received several international awards, including the Prix Femina, the Israel Prize and the Frankfurt Peace Prize. He lives in Arad, Israel.