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!

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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

 

 

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!

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

You're invited to review The Love Song of Mr. Byrd ...

 

"A red maple tree branch, a summer twilight, and an unlikely friendship

Governor General's Literary Award-winning author Philippa Dowding creates a charming new tale about an unlikely friendship between a bat and a bird." 

CALLING ALL REVIEWERS! 

To request a Digital Review Copy of The Love Song of Mr. Byrd, please contact DCB Young Readers.

What is it about? Love. Simply that. This gentle, lyrical ballad is about Bat and Mr. Byrd and their brief summer of deep friendship. They discover love, cats, family, dawn, fireflies, loss, joy, sorrow, and more. They're different, but not so different at all.

Here's the Press Release for more. 

I'll be adding lots more in the coming months, like the idea and experience behind writing this book (which I wrote on a boat), a Q & A about it, my thoughts on the lovely art, reviews, and more!

If you'd like to receive a review copy for The Love Song of Mr. Byrd, please contact the publisher, DCB Young Readers.

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