Ming-Li looked up and tried to imagine the sky silent, empty of birds. It was a terrible thought. Her country's leader had called sparrows the enemy of the farmers — they were eating too much grain, he said. He announced a great "Sparrow War" to banish them from China, but Ming-Li did not want to chase the birds away. As the people of her village gathered with firecrackers and gongs to scatter the sparrows, Ming-Li held her ears and watched in dismay. The birds were falling from the trees, frightened to death! Ming-Li knew she had to do something — even if she couldn't stop the noise. Quietly, she vowed to save as many sparrows as she could, one by one. This thoughtful tale uses historical events for a fable about kindness and empathy. What it contains: 1 hardback book, 40 pages Feel great about where it comes from: Raw materials from Europe? No - Malaysia. That's 22,000km of 'book-miles'. We're wrestling with whether to apply our 'made in Europe? criterion to books, as they are a side-line to our toys, and we only retail don't distribute so our influence on producers is limited. Organic? Unlikely Manufactured in Europe?No - Malaysia What's it made from? Paper, cardboard What's it packaged in? Cardboard only Shipping packaging from manufacturer to us: Cardboard only Plastic-free? Yes 100% Vegan? Yes Animal-cruelty-free? Yes Reused upcycled or recycled? Unknown Feel great about where it goes after you've used it: Biodegradable / compostable? Yes 100% Reusable / refillable? N/A Recyclable? Yes 100% Feel great about you and your child using it: Great for ages: 5-8 Shelf life: Indefinite Safety standards met: N/A - a book not a toy Solvent-free? Yes Gluten-free? Yes Peanut-free? Yes Soy-free? Yes Lactose-free? Yes Easy to wash-off clothes skin? N/A Improvements we're working on in this product: Printing in Europe?saves between 60% and 90% of a book's transport carbon - 60% if you print in Eastern Europe, 90% if you print in Ireland or UK. So, we wish this book were printed in Europe?