Surprisingly such a short read and a very easy one so I would recommend it to younger readers although they may not understand the whole message at first.

The illustrations are simple yet strong while still being grayscale. The best of all the pictures are those of the crane which is formed with so much strong detail yet gentle enough to exude a soft reverent grace for the bird. When compared to the Japanese dress and faces of the human characters it is probably the most realistic of the subjects.

And it the emotional depth of this story that touched me. It is amazing how greedy and selfish the magician was. For one who was the greatest magician in the world he lacked true wisdom but he is like every person, especially parents or sometimes lovers. The crane who was just made from paper had the wisdom of ages while being an eye-opener.

Such a beautiful book and one I proudly add to my collection..... ( )