My Dad's a Birdman

A brilliant book! The pace is very fast and the madness and humour will not fail to capture the attention of children. It is beautifully written and illustrated - the illustrations alone would make you want to read it. Nor would I restrict it to younger children.

There is also a thread of sadness that is open for exploration. How a father and child cope in their own way with the loss of a loved one. It is not overtly dwelt upon and is treated with great sensitivity. Showing how loss can produce strange/eccentric behaviour even in adults, and how the child can become the stronger carer in a parent/child relationship. Leaving the reader with an impression that equanimity and balance will be restored in the future.

A refreshing and humorous chapter book for the 5-9s with light-hearted pictures (11/11 people found this helpful)

This is a great book, a lovely chapter book for the 6+, with bright and cheery illustrations sprinkled throughout and a hint of northern accents.
The main theme, if you like, is a dad and his daughter who have a close relationship. Dad's a bit mad and daughter Lizzie keeps an eye on him.
The Great Human Bird competition is about to take place with many wonderfully inventive (and humorously illustrated) entries, such as Woodpecker Wallie from Whitley Bay and Benny the Bee Boy from Burramurra. Dad chooses "Wings and Faith" as his method of propulsion over the River Tyne but it doesn't seem to be infallible to anyone except Lizzie's Dad.
This is good fresh writing, and I think there's a touch of Dahl both in the storyline and in the writing style too. Unlike Mr Dahl's stories, however, this narrative has a more realistic finale.
Dad fails in his mission to fly over the Tyne with a mighty splash as do the vast majority of the competitors. However, Lizzie and Dad had tried their best to make perfect feathery wings and Dad had even confined himself to an avian diet of insects etc beforehand. So they'd pulled out all the stops and had lot of fun so what did it matter: its a great message for children who all too often see success as entirely synonymous with winning.
As a sideline there's also an Auntie Doreen and her dumplings who falls for Lizzie's headmaster Mr Mortimer Mint.
These four main protagonists all merrily provide a brilliant feel good ending.
Birdman Dad may not be a winner, but "My Dad's A Birdman" certainly is!

David Almond

Reader Reviews:

Magic, mayhem & madness! (5/5 people found this helpful)

A refreshing and humorous chapter book for the 5-9s with light-hearted pictures (11/11 people found this helpful)

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