Q&A with Philippa Dowding

 

 

 

Philippa Dowding is the author of the new children's chapter book The Love Song of Mr. Byrd. Her other books include the Children of Oculum series. She lives in Toronto.

 

Q: What inspired you to write The Love Song of Mr. Byrd?

 

A: One beautiful summer evening a few years ago, I was walking along my city street when a bat and a robin swooped over my head. They were flying in perfect formation as they chirped and clicked and turned together. Suddenly they flew into a red maple tree, where they quietly disappeared.

 

I couldn’t stop thinking about them. What were they doing? Was I watching a battle, or were they simply flying along in the same place at the same time? I didn’t know, but I DID know a good story when it flew over my head.

 

That summer I had access to a sailboat, so I went at twilight once a week to sit in the harbor and handwrite the story about Bat and Mr. Byrd. The sweet pull of twilight on the water spun its magic, and I wrote the first draft by hand over ten weeks in an 80-page notebook, something I’ve never done before. This kept the story to a short, sweet 10 chapters and 8,000 words, the perfect length for an early reader chapter book!

 

It was pure creative impulse to write this story: could a bat and a bird become friends? How do we become friends, anyway?

 

Q: How would you describe the dynamic between Mr. Byrd and Bat?

 

A: Bat is a creature of the night, a nocturnal hunter. Mr. Byrd only flies during the day and never sings after dark. Bat is wise and calm, Mr. Byrd is a little anxious and sometimes boastful. Bat loves being quiet, and Mr. Byrd is rarely silent. Bat is solitary, Mr. Byrd lives in a flock. Bat has teeth, Mr. Byrd has a beak. And so on.

 

At first they seem very different as two creatures whose lives only intersect at twilight or dawn. But as Bat and Mr. Byrd meet on their tree branch at twilight all summer long, their similarities soon outweigh their differences. They are both creatures of the air with wings and beating hearts, after all, and they are friends. Their dynamic is one of balance and respect.

Q: What do you think Caroline Clarke’s illustrations add to the book?

 

A: Caroline did a beautiful job on the illustration for the book cover, and on the 10 interior black-and-white illustrations, one for each chapter. Her skill and creativity bring such warmth and individuality to the characters.

 

I love them all, but my favourite image (right now) is the mouse inviting us to consider the feather in the “Feathers” chapter. The feather looks so soft, it would make any home cozy and warm!

 

The art style is mostly realistic (that is, no frock coats like Peter Rabbit). But how to make a robin seem dejected like Mr. Byrd in “Friend?” Or how to make Bat seem delighted in “Fireflies?”

 

Not an easy task with a bird or a bat, but Caroline has created both characters to be both realistic and endearing. Her final drawing of Mr. Byrd is glorious too; he looks ecstatic as he sings.

 

I love that each illustration sits opposite the first page of the accompanying chapter; their placement is inviting and sets the tone for what’s to come next.

 

If I were a child reading the book or a grandparent or parent reading it aloud, I would linger a long time over each illustration before beginning the chapter. The illustrations invite us into the world of Bat and Mr. Byrd in their journey together from summer to autumn.

 

Q: What do you think the book says about friendship?

 

A: “You will always be my Mr. Byrd, my friend, wherever you go. It doesn’t matter if you aren’t by my side. You will never be far.” Bat, p. 80

 

I tried to be honest about friendship: it’s not always easy to make a new friend. It can be tricky to be vulnerable and authentic with each other, or to outgrow superficial differences. All friendships must also face an inevitable parting one day, one way or another, but we manage to trust and love each other, anyway.

 

Bat and Mr. Byrd commit to their summer together, and along the way they discover the danger of cats, the beauty of fireflies, the meaning of loss, love, courage, fun, family, and more. By summer’s end, they have brought balance and joy to each other, as friends do.

 

The Love Song of Mr. Byrd is for anyone who has ever been moved to sing (or dance, or write, or paint, or celebrate) like Mr. Byrd. I hope the book inspires each of us to celebrate the love of a friend, however we’re moved to do that.

 

Q: What are you working on now?

 

A: I’m at the first stage of edits for a historical autofiction work for older middle-grade readers. Set in England and Germany during WWII, it’s inspired by my father’s experience of surviving a bombing as a boy.

 

The book received a research grant which sent me to the Imperial War Museum in London, England, among other places, a really fascinating experience. The story comes out in September 2026, from DCB Young Readers.

 

I’m also polishing Oculum Scribe, the third book in The Children of Oculum series, a dystopian, climate-fiction trilogy for middle-grade readers. Stay tuned!

 

Q: Anything else we should know?

 

A: The Love Song of Mr. Byrd is dedicated to my brother and sister. The epigraphs are inspired by my father; he was a Shakespearean actor and his favourite book was The Wind in the Willows. We spent hours reading and making up stories together when I was a child, which led directly to my choice of career!

 

--Interview with Deborah Kalb. Here's a previous Q&A with Philippa Dowding.