The Bird Coat

by Inger Marie Kjølstadmyr, Øyvind Torseter (Illustrations), Kari Dickson (Translation)

The tailor Pierre has a big dream: He wants to fly. To make this outlandish vision a reality, he decides to sew a garment that is up to the task: his very own, resplendent bird coat. But can a human really become a bird with anything but disastrous results? This is a fantastical story of the imagined selves that we dream into being, and the hubris that can come hand-in-hand with these imaginings. Illustrated in the distinctive hand of award-winning Norwegian illustrator Øyvind Torseter, this tale was inspired by the true story of Franz Reichelt, dubbed the flying tailor, who in 1912 jumped from the Eiffel Tower in an attempt at flight.

Genres: Picture Books, Childrens, Middle Grade, Death

52 pages, Hardcover

First published October 5, 2016

Reviews

[Alexander Peterhans · Rating 4 out of 5]

Here's a different kind of picture book. It's about a man who has an unrealistic, fanciful idea, and it leads to him jumping to his death... but not in a heavy, dark way. Bear with me!



A barber tells his young customer about a tailor, who is excellent at his job, but who also would love to fly. And so he sets out on making the titular bird coat. But yeah, it's still just that - a coat.



So when he wears his bird coat, and decides to jump off the Eiffel Tower, it ends badly. But not depressingly. Because the tailor's barber mourns his friend, and names a whole set of new haircuts after birds, as a nod to the tailor.



As the author says in their afterword, they wanted to make a picture book about death that wasn't heavy and depressing, a book about dying that didn't just focus on the terrible side of death, but also shows that death is part of life.



Also, he isn't entirely sure whether it's a children's book, or what kind of book it is to begin with. All I know is that it's beautifully written, and beautifully illustrated.

(Thanks to Enchanted Lion Books for providing me with an ARC through Edelweiss)

[Uri Cohen · Rating 4 out of 5]

This strange picture book begins when a kid in Paris sits down for a haircut and asks the barber about the portrait of a man on the wall. (Inexplicably, the man's head has the trunk and tusks of an elephant. That's one of the strange things about this book.) The barber tells the story of Pierre, a tailor in early 20th century Paris who wanted to fly and decided he could do so by sewing a coat with wings, thus making himself into a human bird. Pierre said "So long for now" to his friend François the barber (presumably an ancestor of the storyteller), called a press conference, and jumped off the Eiffel Tower. "But," the storytelling barber tells the kid, "you can't become a bird just like that!" A crowd surrounded the body as François shed a tear. Subsequently, François honored his friend's memory by putting up his portrait and inventing new hairstyles named after birds. In the present, the storytelling barber concludes: "A few years after Pierre's leap, the first airplane flew over Paris. If only Pierre had been there to see it!"

In the back of the book, Kjølstadmyr reflects on the story in a two-page Author's Note. For example, it was inspired by the true story of a tailor who was filmed jumping off the Eiffel Tower in 1912. She also makes an argument that I'd like to share here:

[H]aving your main character die in a very direct and unsentimental way is really not how books for children traditionally deal with death, as I well knew. Still, I couldn't let this hold me back, because if no one pushes the limits of literature and art, nothing new will ever happen.... There is luckily no formula for how children's books about death and loss should be written. They may very well be strange and playful like The Bird Coat, because grieving always has a strong element of moving forward, of searching for light, even when it's only about getting through the day.

I don't know if I agree, but it makes me think, which is what I look for in a book.

[Blane · Rating 4 out of 5]

Although I (an adult with a very dark sense of humor) thoroughly enjoyed it, this is one of the most bizarre children's (?) picture books I have ever read. For those thinking about reading it with younger children, proceed with caution...definitely proofread it first. Overall 3 stars for the story, knocked up to 4 due to the superb illustrations.

[Victoria Whipple · Rating 4 out of 5]

What a fascinating little book about a man who dreams of flying like a bird. He makes and follows a plan, the plan just does not work as expected and he dies. The author's note gives insight into the author's not only of writing the story, but into her thoughts about whether this is a children's book. The death is dealt with in a matter of fact manner, and the barber telling the story to his young customer does so with an air of awe and respect for the departed dreamer. The artwork is done in fine lines, with large splotches of color and some stamps in black ink. While all the human characters are drawn in a cartoonish style (with paper white skin), the wannabe bird man is drawn with an elephant trunk for a nose. Perhaps to make him look less human and therefore ease the shock for young readers? Perhaps for some larger, symbolic reason? I've not decided yet, but this is a book I'd recommend.

[Thomasin Propson · Rating 5 out of 5]

My final children’s picture book of the year, and it’s a surprise—a good one! The pictures are line drawing style: many whimsical (some of the people have animal faces, though most are human) but others are rather unnerving (there’s a woman’s face —what is supposed to be a woman—that will linger in my mind for a bit). It’s a story within a story; a barber recounts to his client the tragic tale of his old friend (a tailor), whose picture hangs in his shop. It’s tragic bc it ends poorly for the tailor. Yet it’s not only sad, it’s reassuring too (life continues to move forward, even after loss). 4.5 stars.

[Zizzy Pesto · Rating 5 out of 5]

MY GOD THE ART!!!

I understand from the author’s note that this was written to contribute to books for children about death. I’d say it was a bit subpar in that regard. I would give it a 1 or 2 star for the text. Øyvind Torseter’s art is so incredibly original, beautiful, surreal, relatable, engrossing, and engaging that I would have given this more than 5 stars, despite the text, had that been an option. A must see for children and adults alike.

[Elizabeth · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Bird Coat is an interesting little story about a man who made a bird coat to fly off the Eiffel Tower. It's an interesting exploration of death, imagination, and the grief we feel at the loss of a friend. The art is whimsical and reminds me of older styles of kidlit illustrations. Recommended for older children and up.

[Natalie Tate · Rating 4 out of 5]

An unexpected firecracker of a book that abruptly awakens readers from the sweet fantasy of a man who dreams of flight with a shocking jab of reality. Darkly funny, very strange, and definitely genre-breaking. Maybe don't hand this to the littlest kiddos. . .

[Andréa]

Note: I accessed a digital review copy of this book from the publisher through Edelweiss.

[Y.Poston]

an exploration of life, death & dreams

[Liz Todd · Rating 5 out of 5]

Strangely wonderfully different. I loved this one.

[Dawn · Rating 4 out of 5]

A different approach to death in a picture book. Very matter of fact. Interesting.

[xAndyPandax · Rating 2 out of 5]

Ayo wtf