6 Questions About THE LOVE SONG OF MR. BYRD with blogger Deborah Kalb

 

Thank you to Deborah Kalb for asking me to answer 6 fascinating questions about THE LOVE SONG OF MR. BYRD on her U.S. book blog!

The 6 questions are: 

1.What inspired you to write THE LOVE SONG OF MR. BYRD?

2. How would you describe the dynamic between Mr. Byrd and Bat? 3. BELOW 4. What do you think the book says about friendship? 5. What are you working on now? 6. Anything else we should know?

I hope you enjoy reading about process, inspiration, art, epigraphs, writing by hand, love and friendship in children's books, and more! The entire blog post is here, enjoy question 3 below:

"3. What do you think Caroline Clarke's illustrations add to the book?

Caroline did a beautiful job on the illustration for the book cover, and on the ten interior black-and-white illustrations, one for each chapter. Her skill and creativity bring such warmth and individuality to the characters. I love them all, but my favourite image (right now) is the mouse inviting us to consider the feather in the “Feathers” chapter. The feather looks so soft, it would make any home cozy and warm!

The art style is mostly realistic (that is, no frock coats like Peter Rabbit). But how to make a robin seem dejected like Mr. Byrd in “Friend?” Or how to make Bat seem delighted in “Fireflies?” Not an easy task with a bird or a bat, but Caroline has created both characters to be both realistic and endearing. Her final drawing of Mr. Byrd is glorious too; he looks ecstatic as he sings.

I love that each illustration sits opposite the first page of the accompanying chapter; their placement is inviting and sets the tone for what’s to come next. If I were a child reading the book or a grandparent or parent reading it aloud, I would linger a long time over each illustration before beginning the chapter. The illustrations invite us into the world of Bat and Mr. Byrd in their journey together from summer to autumn."

Thank you to Deborah Kalb, I really enjoyed answering her questions! 

READ THE WHOLE Q&A with DEBORAH KALB

See more of Caroline Clarke's beautiful illustrations in the YOUTUBE BOOK TRAILER

Find all posts on this blog about THE LOVE SONG OF MR. BYRD here.

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