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Interviews | October 6, 2009

Jill Owens: IMG The Powells.com Interview with Margaret Atwood



margaretatwoodIn her 2003 novel Oryx and Crake, Margaret Atwood describes a future after humanity had been almost entirely wiped out by a plague. Jimmy, aka Snowman, lives... Continue »
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1 Burnside Children's Middle Readers- General

My Dad's a Birdman

by David Almond and Polly Dunbar

My Dad's a Birdman Cover

Staff Pick

David Almond struck a chord that resonated throughout the Kids' Team with My Dad's a Birdman, a novel that is whimsically illustrated and darkly comic in a very British way. The story of Lizzie and her dad bonding over the Great Human Bird Competition (which also serves to mask their grief over Mom's death) has both the strange lightheartedness of Roald Dahl's Matilda and the emotional maturity of Michael Rosen's Sad Book. My Dad's a Birdman was originally a play, and one of the character's names is Mr. Poop — try reading it out loud and not laughing.
Recommended by Adam P., Powells.com

Synopses & Reviews

Publisher Comments:

Join a young girl and her dad as they find their wings and take to the skies in a joyful, quirky, tender tale from a masterful author and illustrator.

In a rainy town in the north of England, there are strange goings-on. Dad is building a pair of wings, eating flies, and feathering his nest. Auntie Doreen is getting cross and making dumplings. Contest barker Mr. Poop is parading the streets shouting louder and louder, and even Mr. Mint, the headmaster, is not quite himself. And watching it all is Lizzie, missing her mam and looking after Dad by letting him follow his newfound whimsy. From an inspired creative pairing comes a story of the Great Human Bird Competition — a poignant, exuberant tale of the healing power of flights of fancy, and a very special father-and-daughter bond.

Review:

"The characters sport silly names like Doreen Doody and Mr. Poop, and Dunbar's colored illustrations, which appear on nearly every spread, evoke Quentin Blake. Readers will definitely come away with mixed feelings-not necessarily a bad thing, to be sure." Kirkus Reviews

About the Author

David Almond grew up in a large family in northeastern England and says, "The place and the people have given me many of my stories." He worked as a postman, a brush salesman, an editor, and a teacher, but began to write seriously after he finished college. His first novel for children, Skellig, was a Michael L. Printz Honor Book and an ALA Notable Book and appeared on many best book of the year lists. His second novel, Kit's Wilderness, won the Michael L. Printz Award for excellence in literature for young adults. David Almond lives in Newcastle, England, with his partner and their daughter.

Product Details

ISBN:
9780763636678
Author:
David Almond and Polly Dunbar
Publisher:
Candlewick Press (MA)
Illustrator:
Dunbar, Polly
Author:
Almond, David
Subject:
General
Subject:
Family - Parents
Subject:
Fathers and daughters
Subject:
Contests
Subject:
Social Issues - General
Subject:
Family - General
Publication Date:
February 2008
Binding:
Hardcover
Language:
English
Illustrations:
Y
Pages:
115
Dimensions:
928x627x63 90
Age Level:
08-12

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