Far, far away there is a lake where the swans go in the wintertime. But as the winds gradually grow warmer, the swans band together and take to the air, flying toward their summer home in the north. One year a young swan cannot fly with her family, and must stay behind, lying ill beside the shores of a lake.

Haunting woodcut illustrations capture perfectly the delicate mood of this poignant story of life and death. Against a striking background dramatically evoking the natural world, Tejima simply and reassuringly broaches a sensitive subject in this modern classic for all ages.

From the dust jacket