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.

Mr. Byrd and the sometimes wobbly feeling of meeting a new friend ...

 

The Love Song of Mr. Byrd by Philippa Dowding
Illustration: FRIEND © Caroline Clarke 2025

The Love Song of Mr. Byrd is now available! This is my 15th book for children, and my first chapter book for ages 6-9 (it's also a great all-ages read-aloud). It's a short, lyrical ballad to love and friendship between unlikely friends. It's also sweetly illustrated by Newfoundland artist Caroline Clarke. 

You can order a copy of Mr. Byrd now. Thank you to my publisher, DCB Young Readers!  

Enjoy Caroline's illustration above and a taste of chapter two, Friend, as Mr. Byrd experiences a wobbly start to his new friendship with Bat:

"Mr. Byrd came to the branch of the red maple tree the next night. He’d been looking for worms all day with little success. July was dry, and the worms were hidden deep in the cracked earth.

He looked over the fields.

“I wonder. I wonder if she’ll be back?”

The tree was at the end of the street, near a brick house that belonged to a large family. Children’s bicycles, soccer balls, and baseball gloves lay everywhere in the grass.

The sun was golden and low in the sky. It was almost twilight.

I’m sure she’s not coming, he thought a bit later, as he watched the sun sink lower. Then he puffed out his chest and looked down at himself. 

He didn’t even feel like singing, which was what he usually did at the end of the day.

He settled his feathers. The sun was sinking, but there was no Bat.

“Look at me. Why would any bat want to be my friend? It was silly of me to think that she would come. Who ever heard of a bat and a bird being friends?”

The more he thought about it, the more foolish he felt. He was nobody. Well, not nobody maybe, but really just a very small somebody in a very big world filled with creatures far more interesting and important than he was.

He was just Byrd, or even Mr. Byrd, according to Bat. But he wasn’t flashy ..." Text © Philippa Dowding 2025

Spoiler alert: Bat shows up! The friendship blossoms all summer until fall brings change, and for Mr. Byrd, the sweetest song of all. 

Readers may discover a gentle resonance with classics like The Wind in the Willows, Charlotte's Web, Jonathan Livingston Seagull, The Tao of Pooh, all the Franklin the Turtle books, and more of those books that you wish someone had read to you as a child. ENJOY! 

More about The Love Song of Mr. Byrd on this blog.