The power of language.

Birdsong

Written by: Katya Balen @katyabalen

Illustrated by: Richard Johnson

Published by: Barrington Stoke @BarringtonStoke

Published on: July 2022

Price: £6.99

First line: There is music everywhere- if you know how to listen.

Genre: Contemporary, Music, Friendship, Birds

Age: 9+

Thanks to my local library for the review copy!

What’s it all about? Annie is a flute virtuoso, but devastatingly can’t play anymore because of the car crash she was involved in. A move to a new home worsens her feelings of failure and loneliness, and the beautiful colour of music seems to have deserted her forever. However, through chance, an energetic, sensitive, bestraggled boy and a couple of birds show Annie that there is still music everywhere if she looks closely enough.

Why should I read it? I’ve read a few of Katya’s books now, and, without except, I think she uses verbs in the most (I was going to write the word nuanced here, but I think what I mean is the exact opposite of nuanced – her verbs aren’t subtle, they are perfect at forming the description they need to do. However, when I looked up an antonym for the word nuanced, I was given: coarse, inexact, robust; all of which sound harsh and too aggressive and not what I mean at all) colourful way. I also really like her use of figurative language to show how Annie is feeling and how the world around her changes with her moods. I think her writing is quite similar to David Almonds, because I get the sense that they see writing as a craft, almost like they’re chiselling, or sewing, or hammer away at a sentence to create something unique like a wood worker, or seamstress or metalworker. She also uses word repetitively to create an atmosphere, like the word burn, which creates a negative, hurt feeling at the beginning of the story. This puts me in the mind of Charles Dickens and his famous use of repating phrases in Great Expectations.

I love the short chapters and these will help any reluctant readers. The illustrations are subtle (!) and perfect for the story.

I don’t usually include quotes from books I review, but these are just too good to miss. If you’re a teacher and you want your class to use powerful verbs and adjectives in their descriptive writing, you should definitely study this book with them in Year 4 or 5. Here are a few of my favourites:

‘I slink out of the front door…’

‘The sky is burning blue.’

‘…a pen as black as my mood.’

But don’t worry, there are plenty more for you to find on your own!