The Queen of the Birds
Age range 6 to 9
An exquisite retelling of a well-known traditional tale by one of Scotland's most well-known songwriters and storytellers and illustrated by an artist renowned for her paintings of animals — both real and mythical.
After a terrible storm, the Kingdom of Birds is looking for a leader. Will it be the bird with the loveliest song, or the brightest plumage? The fastest in the air, or underwater? The bird who flies highest, or those who stick together and work as a team?
All across the sky, birds are flocking together. Nightingales and robins, barn owls and blackbirds. The eagle, the flamingo, the birds of the moor. Curlews and cuckoos and herons and hoopoes. And Wee Jenny Wren.
Let the contest begin!
Karine Polwart is a multi-award-winning Scottish songwriter and musician, as well as a theatre maker, storyteller, spoken word performer and essayist. She is a five-time winner at the Radio 2 Folk Awards, and her album Wind Resistance won the Best Music and Sound Award at the CATS 2017. She was also shortlisted for Best Actor ‘Scottish Oscar’ in the Sunday Herald Culture Awards.
Kate Leiper is an artist and illustrator who regularly exhibits and undertakes commissions throughout the UK. She is particularly drawn to mythical and animal subjects and has previously worked on Illustrated Treasury of Scottish Folk and Fairy Tales and An Illustrated Treasury of Scottish Mythical Creatures (both publisher by Floris). She also illustrated The Book of the Howlat (text by James Robertson), published by Birlinn in 2016.
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