THE LOVE SONG OF MR. BYRD is a FINALIST for the Governor General's Literary Award!

 

THE LOVE SONG OF MR. BYRD is a FINALIST for the 

Governor General's Literary Award (Young People's Text) for 2026!

I am truly honoured, grateful, (and a little shocked), by this incredible news today. Thank you to the Governor General's Awards, to my publisher DCB Young Readers, and congratulations to my fellow nominees. Also, thank you to the illustrator of the book, Caroline Clarke, whose lovely images grace every chapter. See some of her images on the Mr. Byrd YouTube book trailer here. 

I'm going to take a few days to take this in, but for now, here are all posts about MR. BYRD on this blog.

Stay tuned for more. Winners are announced on November 12!

The Love Song of Mr. Byrd is a TELLING TALES Reading List Selection for 2026!

 

The Telling Tales Festival has named THE LOVE SONG OF MR. BYRD to their festival reading list for 2026! Thank you to them, I'm delighted to see Mr. Byrd and Bat in such great company with other Canadian books for young readers

From the Telling Tales Festival 2026 Selection Advisory committee:

"The Telling Tales Reading List is a digital archive of great Canadian children’s literature. It is a resource for parents, guardians, and educators. This curated list of books is used to program our events throughout the year, including the annual Festival."

Find The Love Song of Mr. Byrd here.

The Telling Tales Reading list for 2026. 

The Love Song of Mr. Byrd BOOK TAILER

Keep reading everyone, we are in deep, deep summer, the perfect time to meet your best friend on the branch at twilight. Or if you can't do that, then read a book about it!

THE LOVE SONG OF MR. BYRD is a CCBC Best Book Spring 2026!

Hurray for Mr. Byrd! He and Bat are in great company with these wonderful books from publisher DCB Young Readers. ALL four books been named to the Canadian Children's Book Centre BEST OF BOOK list for  Spring 2026!

Thank you to DCB, to the CCBC, and congratulations to all authors and publishers named. Inclusion on this important BEST OF list will ensure that top quality Canadian books get into the hands of young readers, coast to coast. READ ON, everyone!

For the entire Spring 2026 CCBC Best Books

 

It's a SYRCA Shining Willow Award Nomination for The Love Song of Mr. Byrd!

 

The Love Song of Mr. Byrd has received a lovely nomination from the Saskatchewan Young Reader's Choice Willow Awards in the SHINING WILLOW category! THANK YOU and congratulations to all the nominees and their publishers!

The Willow Awards 2026 have three categories from pre-school to high school, with ten books in each category. Shining Willow books are for readers from early or pre-school age to grade 3. The schools and libraries in Saskatchewan will carry the nominated books so that young readers can enjoy them, then vote on their favourite books next spring, 2027. The winners are announced at a gala event and authors and young readers get to meet face to face, which is so fun.

The full list of WILLOW AWARD NOMINEES

I'm incredibly grateful to the Willow Awards for many reasons. They put Canadian books into the hands of young Canadian readers; they celebrate Canadian publishing; and they allow the readers themselves to vote on their favourite books. A win from your own readers feels pretty great!

The Willow Award was also the first nomination I ever received for my first book The Gargoyle in My Yard, in 2011. What a day that was, to find out that not only can I have my book published (which frankly seemed like a win), but then the book may be nominated for awards! Who knew? 

An award nomination is wonderful validation and recognition for an author and inspires us to keep writing. 

To be business-minded for a moment, awards like these also help publishers sell books and continue to publish great Canadian authors. Thank you to my wonderful publisher, DCB Young Readers for supporting this EARLY CHAPTER BOOK adventure! And note that DCB has THREE books on the Willow Award list this year, a mighty feat! Congrats to all!

All Posts About The Love Song of Mr. Byrd

Purchase a copy at a local bookstore

And finally, thank you and congratulations to artist Caroline Clarke, whose ten lovely illustrations are a big part of the book. I love them all (and the cover is amazing), but the illustration below of Bat and Mr. Byrd contemplating loss, is very, very sweet ...

LOSS © illustration by Caroline Clarke
From THE LOVE SONG OF MR. BYRD, by Philippa Dowding

 

 

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.

Please consider buying your books from a local bookseller. In Canada, try Bookmanager. Or Order here.

Young readers, intergenerational readers, here's a classic tale about friendship for everyone ...

 

Let's celebrate the friends we love!

This Valentine's Day, consider THE LOVE SONG OF MR. BYRD as a short and sweet ballad
about friendship; a cozy gift for your youngest readers and your oldest, too! 

An Early Chapter Reader for Ages 6-9 (but really 6 to 99)

With 10 lovely illustrations by Caroline Clarke 

Sing your song, everyone!

Purchase The Love Song of Mr. Byrd

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Direct from Publisher

5 Questions and Answers about The Love Song of Mr. Byrd

Whenever I have a new book published, I post 5 questions and answers here that I think my audience might find interesting (or questions I wish someone would ask me!). 

The Love Song of Mr. Byrd (DCB, 2025) is my latest book, my 15th, and is now out in the world. 

So please enjoy 5 questions about the book, answered:

1. What is The Love Song of Mr. Byrd about?

As the title suggests, the book is unapologetically about love and friendship, in this case between two unlikely creatures: a bat and a bird. 

Mr. Byrd is somewhat fussy and a little anxious, Bat is calm and wise, more worldly than Mr. Byrd. One magical summer night, Mr. Byrd accidentally steps on Bat's foot and the two agree to meet on the tree branch at twilight all summer long. The friendship surprises them as together they discover the beauty of rain and fireflies, the danger of cats, the meaning of joy, loss, fun, and much more. 

The Love Song of Mr. Byrd is about a gentle friendship that grows between creatures who at first seem very different, but as summer turns to fall, they realize their similarities far outweigh their differences, and they have become friends.

2. What made you write The Love Song of Mr. Byrd?

One summer night a few years ago, a bat and a robin flew over my head as I was walking down the street. They clicked and chirped and flew together, wingtip to wingtip, into a tree. I tried to find them, but they'd disappeared. I was fascinated. What were they up to? Were they friends or enemies? 

I did a little research and found that robins and bats aren't natural enemies, since one is diurnal and one nocturnal. They rarely overlapped in time and space, which just made their flight over my head together more fascinating!

That summer I had access to a sailboat in Toronto harbour. Once a week I'd visit the boat at twilight and write a little more about Bat and Mr. Byrd. I handwrote the first draft of the book in an 80-page notebook over 10 weeks, which is why there are 10 short chapters, and the word count is about 8,000 words! 

3. Are there books that inspired The Love Song of Mr. Byrd?

The story is pure creative impulse. I let the act of writing take over and at first didn't really think about who I was writing for or what kind of book this was, I was simply writing a sweet story about Mr. Byrd and his friend Bat. I was writing for everyone who has ever had a special summertime friendship or connection. I think we can all understand that feeling, whether we are children or grown up.

I wanted to be honest about friendship. To gently note that at first it can be a bit hard to make a friend, it can ask much of us to make room on the tree branch for each other, and no matter how tender, one day all friends must part, one way or another.

So in that way the book may feel a little like the friendship between Charlotte and Wilbur, or Pooh and Christopher Robin, or Ratty and Moley. The lovely sailboat, the twilight, the gentle lull of the waves, definitely made me nostalgic and that is reflected in the language and feel of the book.

4. Who would enjoy this story?

My wonderful publisher, DCB Young Readers, have published The Love Song of Mr. Byrd as an Early Reader Chapter book, a first for them and for me. 

I believe the story is wonderful for children of all ages, or as an independent reader for ages 6-9. It's also a lovely read-aloud for grandparents, parents, for anyone who has ever become a friend!

With a shorter word count, larger type size, and 10 short chapters with 10 accompanying illustrations each on a single theme, such as Rain, Friends, Feather, Dawn, Loss, Fireflies and more, the book reads like a gentle, thoughtful meditation on loss, love, friendship, and joy. We can all use a little more love and joy!

5. What else should readers know about The Love Song of Mr. Byrd?

The book is dedicated to my brother and sister. The epigraphs are for my father; he was a Shakespearean actor and his favourite book was The Wind in the Willows. The gorgeous cover and the 10 beautiful interior illustrations are the work of Newfoundland artist Caroline Clarke, who did an amazing job bringing Bat and Mr. Byrd to life. 

If you have questions you'd like me to answer, ask in the comments below!

All Posts about The Love Song of Mr. Byrd on this blog

Find The Love Song of Mr. Byrd at your local bookseller

An emotional rollercoaster, sweet student letters for Mr. Byrd!

 

One of the sweetest moments for any writer is when we receive letters from a classroom of students who have just read our book! I'm always reminded that children love stories as much as writers love to write them. What a lucky match-up! Thank you to these very sweet, thoughtful children from a grade 4 class in Ontario, their letters inspire me and remind me why I write. 

I wrote back to them via their teacher, here's an excerpt from my recent letter to the class:

"Hello everyone!

I received your letters about THE LOVE SONG OF MR. BYRD today, and I was so delighted, I almost burst into song! Thank you so much for your wonderful thoughts and questions about the book. Your letters have made my day, and also reminded me that the next generation of young readers are very insightful and kind.

Many of you mentioned that the book helps you understand that our similarities are what matters, not our differences. That is definitely one of the main themes of the story of Bat and Mr. Byrd: it's our similarities that draw us together and help us the most.

A few of you noted that your class was the first to read it, and that's true! The world premier was right in your classroom! I'm SO GLAD you liked it. As a first audience, you were spectacular, thank you.

A few of you also asked why I chose to make a bat and a bird into friends? It's a good question. The answer is that a bat and a bird flew over my head one night when I was walking down the street, and I thought how unusual that was, then how special. I wrote the story by hand right away, and soon realized I was writing about two creatures who seem different at first but whose similarities make them friends.

...

A few of you also asked if I'm working on another book, and the answer is YES! It's very different from Mr. Byrd's story, since it's about an experience my father had as a boy in World War II. It will come out next fall, September 2026, and it's for middle-grade readers. Stay tuned.

Thank you for all your great ideas for another book, too! You are wonderful writers, readers, and listeners, and I am quite convinced you also know how to be good friends to the people around you. Keep reading and writing, everyone. 

Philippa Dowding"

Happy and Safe Holiday Wishes to all, and keep reading everyone!

Purchase The Love Song of Mr. Byrd from a local bookstore

If you loved a book (or even liked it), consider leaving a review somewhere or telling friends. Reviews & testimonials have never been more important for writers & publishers. See you in 2026!

The Love Song of Mr. Byrd is Canadian from start to finish ...

 

I'm so honoured and grateful to publish my next book, The Love Song of Mr. Byrd (Oct/2025), with DCB Young Readers, an independent, 100% Canadian publisher, and the children's imprint of Cormorant Books. From their website:

"We celebrate the intelligence and potential of young people who engage with literature, and hope to provide them with a starting point for a lifetime of learning.

All DCB Young Readers books are entirely made in Canada ...
Written by Canadians
Illustrated by Canadians
Edited by Canadians
Designed by Canadians
Published by Canadians
… and Printed in Canada!"

The first reviews of The Love Song of Mr. Byrd are still to come (nail-biting time, friends), but pre-orders and media copy or author interview requests are most welcome. More to come on Mr. Byrd, stay tuned! The book contains 10 beautiful b/w illustrations by Canadian artist Caroline Clarke.

ISBN  978-1-77086-808-3 | Paperback | Ages 7-9 | 96pp | $10.95 | Oct. 25, 2025 | DRCs Available

Writing about Friendship and Love in a new children's book ...

Author copies for my latest book arrived today: 

THE LOVE SONG OF MR. BYRD is in the house!

I'm eternally grateful to my wonderful publisher, DCB Young Readers, for the opportunity to share this story. The book is short (around 8000 words), and split into 10 sweet, lyrical chapters that work well for readers ready for chapter books, ages 5 to 8. It's also graced with 10 beautiful illustrations, from Newfoundland artist Caroline Clarke (more about Caroline's lovely work in another post). Caroline also created the cover image of Bat and Mr. Byrd on their red maple tree branch. IMAGE 1: author's copies of The Love Song of Mr . Byrd!

But to me, this summertime journey with Byrd and his friend Bat is really for anyone who wants to explore love and friendship in a world full of news and stories that often feel like their antithesis. The world is difficult but there is always kindness, joy, beauty, if we choose them. In fact, Bat and Mr. Byrd talk about this very thing and more.

Why did I write a story so unapologetically about love? Because it felt like the right time, in my 15th book, to write about something I'd never really declared, head on. Because we need it? Because it was fun? Because, because. The truth is, as I say in the acknowledgements at the back of the book, I was inspired to write this ballad after a bird and a bat flew over my head one summer night a few years ago. They were unusual, flying together like that, and they stayed with me. 

I had a sailboat that summer and as I thought more about the bat and the bird overhead, I decided to write their story by hand in a Moleskin journal, one chapter a week on the boat over ten weeks. Which is why the story is ten short chapters, and is only 8,000 words; I wrote to the very last journal page! IMAGE 2: my initial "cover" idea (in pencil) of Byrd and Bat on the branch, beside the real cover.

I read a lot as a child, I think many writers did (not necessarily all). I found myself channeling many of my favourite childhood characters as I wrote: Charlotte and Wilbur, Jonathan Livingston Seagull, Ratty and Moley from the The Wind in the Willows, even some lines of Shakespeare. There are resonances, too, with books my children and I read, like Corduroy Bear and Franklin the Turtle. The fact that I wrote the story on a boat also lends a gentle rocking, watery rhythm. I changed very little from my handwritten version, which surprises me. IMAGE 3: My original Mr. Byrd journal, then simply "Bat & Bird."

In the weeks ahead, I'll write more about The Love Song of Mr. Byrd. It feels like resistance, yet also like something gentle, to write about love and friendship, and I'm glad.

The final lines from my acknowledgement: "This story is about friendship and love and is for everyone who has ever been moved to sing (or dance, or paint, or write, or celebrate) like Mr. Byrd. I hope he inspires you to hear your own song, and sing it, too." 

The Love Song of Mr. Byrd is available in bookstores and libraries after October 25, 2025

Preorder Mr. Byrd at a local bookstore here

Preorder here too

Book launch information to come soon! 

A new friend is a scary thing sometimes, says Bat to Mr. Byrd ...

 

Here is the lovely back cover of The Love Song of Mr. Byrd, my next book coming in October, 2025 from DCB Young Readers.

It's a story about an unlikely friendship and unapologetic in its appeal to love. In such a difficult climate for artists, writers, thinkers, and frankly all of us right now, I hope this sweet, unassuming story in 10-short chapters gives readers a moment to think about friendship, and what it is to love one another. Friendship takes time, attentiveness, and sometimes a willingness to make space on the tree branch for each other.

Pre-order Mr. Byrd from your local bookstore here 

Cover and 10 beautiful b/w illustrations by Newfoundland artist Caroline Clarke

The Love Song of Mr. Byrd is a PICK for FALL 2025!

 

The Love Song of Mr. Byrd is a Manda + Readers' Advisory Divas and Dudes Children's Pick for Fall 2025!

"The Love Song of Mr. Byrd by Philippa Dowding & Caroline Clarke - Cormorant Books- 9781770868083- TPB- $10.95- Juvenile Fiction / Animals - Birds- 36 pp.*- October 2025- Ages 6-8 

A shy and nervous morning bird meets a mischievous and worldly nocturnal bat by chance at twilight, and the two become unlikely friends over one magical summer."

That's really nice to see Mr. Byrd on this select list of forthcoming books: only 22 books are chosen, only 8 of those are Canadian!

Find the full 25-book List of Manda + R.A.D.D. Children & YA Books for Fall 2025 here

PREORDER The Love Song of Mr. Byrd Here (or anywhere you buy your books) Preorders = book love!

*Please note: The Love Song of Mr. Byrd is 96 pages long, with 10 beautiful b/w illustrations by Newfoundland artist Caroline Clarke

The Love Song of Mr. Byrd and a little twilight magic ...

 

Introducing the first page of The Love Song of Mr. Byrd, my next book coming Oct/25 from DCB!

It's a short, lyrical tale of love and loss one summer, told in ten brief chapters, and beautifully illustrated by Newfoundland artist Caroline Clarke.

Read the entire first chapter free on Bookmanager here (select "more images" under cover image): The Love Song of Mr. Byrd 

🍁NOTE: This is book is 100% Canadian: the publisher, editor, printer, illustrator, author, warehouse and more, are all Canadian!

Pre-order Mr. Byrd now, because pre-orders = book love

Indigo pre-order page

SHOP LOCAL Pre-order Mr. Byrd at an independent bookstore near you

Read the first chapter of THE LOVE SONG OF MR. BYRD online now!

You can read the first chapter of my next book, The Love Song of Mr. Byrd online now.  If you like it, you can pre-order your copy. Please note that the publisher, illustrator, editor, printer, and author of this book are 100% Canadian! 

Read the first chapter for free on Bookmanager here. 

(Select the "more images" button below the cover image)

Pre-order The Love Song of Mr. Byrd here 

*Preorders = eternal gratitude and possible dancing by all involved! Pre-orders help my small, independent, 100% Canadian-owned-and-run publisher continue to create high-quality, Canadian books. THANK YOU!

Bookmanager: Search a local bookstore to preorder for you

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The beautiful cover image and 10 gorgeous b/w interior illustrations are by Newfoundland artist Caroline Clarke.