Birds have been part of our art and literature since early man first picked up a piece of charcoal and discovered how to make marks on cave walls. Birds have appeared in folklore and fairy tales, often depicted with magical properties. We have worn their plumes as ceremonial dress, hunted with them, kept them as status symbols and eaten them.
Putting together my top ten children's books that feature birds was harder than I first thought. Our relationship with birds is rarely like our relationship with dogs, horses or other mammals, where we feel we have a kindred spirit and a shared empathy.
We see birds as something other, something almost ethereal. Maybe it is their independence, their flight and ability to travel beyond our own horizons. Maybe part of us aspires to that freedom and ability to see the world from another perspectives. Birds in fiction often become messengers, connecting us with other lands and other people, allowing us to reflect upon our own lives too.
Gill Lewis's fourth book, Scarlet Ibis, is the moving story of a young girl struggling to hold her family together against the odds. It is the first of Gill's books to explore the importance of urban wildlife.
For older children…
1. The Snow Goose by Paul Gallico
Set on the Essex Marshes during the second world war, this hauntingly beautiful book tells the story of a young girl, Fritha, who seeks the help of a disfigured recluse to care for an injured snow goose. It is a story of friendship and love set against the horrors of war. Sir Peter Scott's illustrations for the original edition capture the people and wild landscape.
2. Kes by Barry Hines
Bleak and gritty, this is the heartbreaking story of Billy Caspar, a teenage boy growing up in a loveless world of bullying and neglect. Through his relationship with a kestrel, Billy learns to love and take responsibility of a wild creature. However, this story is set very much in the real world, and you will need a huge wodge of tissues to get you through the end.
3. The Sword in the Stone by TH White
In TH White's re-telling of the Arthurian Legends, Merlyn changes young Wart into different animals to see the world from others' perspectives. Through birds' eyes, Wart learns to see the folly of man and to understand what it takes to become a great leader. White's descriptions of flight, perfectly encapsulate what it is to be a bird.
4. Watership Down by Richard Adams
Kehaar is the abrasive and loud black-headed gull that provides comic relief in in Adams' classic and dark tale about rabbits searching for a safe home. Hazel, the leader, uses Kehaar's knowledge gained from his travels and his ability of flight to help the rabbits out of many sticky situations. Adams' apparently based Kehaar's character upon a Norwegian resistance fighter.
Non-fiction…
5. Silent Spring by Rachel Carson
Carson's classic read about the damage to our environment through the indiscriminate use of pesticides is as relevant today as it was in the 1960s. With our current knowledge of the adverse effects of the accumulation of organochlorines in birds and mammals and the link between the demise of bee populations and the use of more recent pesticides such as the neonicotinoids, Silent Spring is a worthwhile reminder and warning of what we stand to lose.
6. Birds and People by Mark Cocker and David Tipling
With stunning photographs, this non-fiction book explores and celebrates our human relationship with birds. From Mongolian hunters with their eagles, to people of New Guinea with their cassowary headdresses, this book shows how our lives have been entwined with birds throughout history and how our exploitation of birds has driven many to the point of extinction.
For younger children…
7. Owl Moon by Jane Yolen and John Schoenherr
This is a simple and beautiful book about the magic and wonder of being in the woods at night, searching for owls. Yolen's story is as much about opening the senses to nature as it is about spending precious time with a loved one. It makes you want to take your child by the hand and search for owls together, under moonlight.
8. Just Ducks by Nicola Davies and Salvatore Rubbino
Everyone loves ducks, especially children. This charming book is a celebration of ducks as seen through a child's eyes. The gentle narration is infused with interesting, informative ducky facts.
9. Mole and Baby Bird by Marjorie Newman and Patrick Benson
In this heartwarming story, Mole finds an orphaned bird and cares for it in his underground home. However, the time comes when Mole must make the painful decision whether to keep it as a pet or to set it free. With help from his grandfather and a walk to the top of a hill where birds are flying freely, Mole discovers that true happiness is not about what he wants for himself but what he wants for others.
10. King of Birds by Helen Ward
In this beautifully illustrated version of Aesop's Fable, Ward tells the story with simple, lyrical text. Who will be the king of birds? The biggest? The smallest? The most colourful? The most tuneful? The highest flier? Ward's illustrations show the diversity of birdlife and she also gives us a useful key in the end pages to help to identify the birds in the story.
And now watch this!
Gill Lewis made a special video to show us the gorgeous treehouse where she writes her books.
