Bowerbird blues by Aura Parker

Bowerbird flies over Sydney, watching from on high, looking for all things blue. He collects buttons and plastic forks, blue pegs, straws, feathers, and toothbrushes. He has eaten, his wings are strong, but something is missing. He flies up into the blue which he loves, looking for something but he is not sure what it is. He flies out over the blue sea, still looking. And he dives down into the cold blue, until he gasps. He wakes up the next morning surrounded by his blue things. He makes patterns of the things in his collection. He puts them in rows of eight and four, and two then one. And then he weaves: small threads, sticks and leaves, woven together to make his nest. But still, something is missing. And surprisingly it isn’t blue. His partner is dull in colour, but the pair sweep up into the blue, flying together, sharing, cuddling, loving. The two make their home in the nest he has built, surrounded by the blue things he collected to attract his mate.

A stunning picture book to share with children or a class, encouraging them to find out more about this bird, listing the things they see in his nest. Children could see what they could collect that is blue, within the garden or schoolyard, and could list all the things they find, making a bowerbird nest themselves.

Parker’s text gives more information than it seems at first glance, building up an image of this bird for the readers. Then looking at the watercolour illustrations will teach them lots more as they see where the little bird goes in his search for blue.

The endpapers build an image of Sydney housing where the bowerbird often finds his blue bits, and parks where the bowerbird builds his nest. Each page is a tableau of blue, designed to give the readers a solid idea of this little bird and his quest. And an extra fun thing to do, is to find all the things listed on the first and last pages of the book. Kids will love this puzzle and compete with each other to find the blue things.

The book was the 2024 National Simultaneous Storytime book. This link will take you to a reading of the story by Ozzie. And this site shows children about the bowerbird. And a talk by the author can be found here.

Themes: Bowerbird, Blue, Nests, Behaviour.

Fran Knight