A Busy Day for Birds is a fun book for kids
A Busy Day for Birds by Lucy Cousins(Hooray for Birds! in the USA)
(Walker Books, 2017)Good to Read for:introducing children to the world of birdsengaging with your child and starting conversationsinteractive fun It’s no secret that I’m a total bird geek. I have been all my life. So, of course, I was naturally drawn to A Busy Day for Birds by the wonderful Lucy Cousins. And it’s perfect timing, too: this week, my local woodland came alive with spring birdsong.When I illustrated Only You Can Be You! by Nathan and Sally Clarkson (Tommy Nelson 2019), I leveraged my passion to create something unique by adding incidental birds throughout the book.
A few years later, I illustrated the picture book, Ich bin ein bisschen schüchtern with the German publisher, Oetinger (2023). It features a rambunctious blue parrot called Bill (based on a Hyacinth Macaw). Again, I added a personal spin by having him play the banjo like myself (rather than a guitar, as originally written). (I also gave him a wooden leg as I felt challenged by the lack of representation in my work.)
Illustrating Bill was an absolute delight, so I can only imagine how much fun it was for Lucy Cousins to create today’s Story Worth Sharing: A Busy Day for Birds (Walker Books, 2017), which is a joyful introduction to (and celebration of) the wonderful world of birds.
Publishers Weekly describes Cousins’ bold art style as ‘punchy’. Her characterisation is simple, with thick, black outlines and super bright, saturated colours. But despite the vibrant immediacy of her illustrations, Cousins’ books always manage to be gentle and charming, rather than brash.
I can’t help but smile when I see an illustration by Lucy Cousins. Her books were a firm family favourite when my boys were growing up (I only wish Birds had been around). Thinking back, I can confidently say that the first book we ever read to Noah (when he was only a month or so old) was Cousins’ version of Noah’s Ark. Then, as families the world over, we became totally enamoured by the iconic Maisy books.
A Busy Day for Birds has a satisfying structure, beginning with the front endpapers – an assorted flock of birds pepper the page. They are awake and active – all bar one. Yes, you guessed it: an owl. We then move into the start of the book (and the birds’ day) with an enticing question that engages the child reader:
Can you imagine…
just for one day…
you’re a busy bird?
Yes, a bird!
Hooray!
Then we’re off on a wild and colourful ride with various feathered friends, both familiar (including a hen, a swan) and exotic (for example, a flamingo). There is no story, as such, but a stream of observations and instructions inviting your child to join in and have a go at being a bird, beginning with a cockerel:
The sun is up,
the sky is blue.
Wake up and shout
Cock-a-doodle-do!
Lucy Cousins: “When I was working out with book I painted loads and loads of different birds and then choose which ones I wanted to [include]. I definitely wanted the cockerel and the owl so that just suggested a nice beginning and a nice ending, with all the other birds being really busy doing their thing in the middle.”
It’s a routine, adds Cousin, that every child recognises from their own life.
Children are invited to flap, swim and stretch. A troop of starlings urge them to ‘[s]woop up and down, swoop round and round.’ A bird of prey asks the reader to ‘catch a wriggly snake and stretch out your wings.’
(As Laura (Book Scrounger) on Good Reads notes, ‘It’s a good way to get the wiggles out!’)
The simplicity of A Busy Day for Birds makes it an ideal book to share with babies and toddlers, who will respond to the bright colours, bold imagery and rhyming text. But what about older children? Well, the simple rhyming text will benefit those who are becoming independent readers. And the variety of birds will also inspire interested readers to find out more about those represented. (Take that snake-catching bird, for example. If you Google ‘birds that eat snakes’, a whole load of answers will come up, including the secretary bird, snake eagles, and kookaburras.)
There’s a lovely YouTube video of the book being read aloud by an older child that perfectly demonstrates just how engaging A Busy Day for Birds is. “I would like to hop,” the boy narrates. But I’m not sure about pecking – I think it would hurt my face and give me a headache!”
The book comes full circle as the birds’ day ends and a pair of parrots encourage children to cuddle in their nest and say goodnight – just in time for the arrival of an hooting owl. (It’s worth mentioning that the text refers specifically to mum, which may cause issues for some children if mummy’s unavailable…)
The final endpapers wrap the package up rather nicely, as all the birds are shown fast asleep - all except the owl! As The Bookseller put it, A Busy Day for Birds is more than just ‘a joyful celebration of birds’. Cousins’ usual joie de vivre transforms it into a celebration of life.
Tips for sharing A Busy Day for BirdsThis is a fabulous book for fun and games. Simply follow the lead of the narrative and pretend to be birds!
Go back and look at all the birds on the front endpapers. One of them is asleep… Now go to the end papers. Can your child spot which one is still awake?
A Busy Day for Birds will open your child’s eyes to the variety of birds all around. Take time to point out birds you see and use the book to chat about the behaviour you observe.
A Busy Day for Birds by Lucy Cousins (Walker Books, 2017)(Hooray for Birds! in the USA)
Good to Read for:introducing children to the world of birdsengaging with your child and starting conversationsinteractive fun Copyright © 2017 Lucy Cousins (Text & Illustrations)From A BUSY DAY FOR BIRDS by Lucy CousinsReproduced by permission of Walker Books Ltd, London, SE11 5HJBoy and bird by Tim Warnes, from Only You Can Be You! What Makes You Different Makes You Great by Nathan & Sally Clarkson, ill. by Tim Warnes (Tommy Nelson 2019)Bill the parrot by Tim Warnes from Ich bin ein bisschen schüchtern by Anna Böhm & Tim Warnes (Oetinger 2023) GOOD TO READBright books for babies
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