The baya bird of India weaves its nest of grasses and flowers. In this dramatic yet lulling lullaby of a book, such a bird also saves a baby girl"s life. Melodious words and artful pictures intertwine to cast a spell, as luminous as the nest the baya bird builds and encrusts with fireflies, as powerful as the love one Indian mother feels for the choti ladki she rocks in the cradle of her vermilion scarf.