Birdsong

Birdsong is a 2019 children's picture book written and illustrated by Julie Flett. The book follows the story of a young indigenous girl named Katherena, who moves to a countryside home with her mother. Lonely in her new home at first, Katherena develops a friendship with her elderly neighbor, Agnes. The book explores the intergenerational relationship between them. The pages were illustrated with pastel and pencil colours. Greystone Kids published the book on 24 September 2019. The book received positive reviews by critics, who praised its seasonal arrangement, portrayal of relationships, and minimalist illustrations. It appeared on numerous year-end "best of" publication lists, including those of The Horn Book Magazine, Kirkus Reviews, and Publishers Weekly. In 2020, the book was awarded the TD Canadian Children's Literature Award and the American Indian Youth Literature Award. Plot The book opens in spring, when a young indigenous girl named Katherena and her mother leave their home by the sea and move into a countryside residence. Katherena has difficulty adjusting to her new home and no longer enjoys drawing at her new desk. Seeing her loneliness, Katherena's mother asks her to visit their older neighbour Agnes, a clay artist. Katherena becomes friends with Agnes. Katherena shows her paintings to Agnes, who shows Katherena her garden and clay-shaped birds and animals. Katherena teaches Agnes Cree words while Agnes tells her about rural life. During the fall, Katherena helps Agnes in her garden by preparing the soil for next spring and feeding worms. By winter, Agnes cannot go outside her home. Katherena and her mother prepare salmon stew and take it to Agnes's home. With the passage of the seasons, Agnes becomes frail, yet the bond between Katherena and Agnes keeps growing. They continue to share their mutual love for flora, fauna, and art while their strengthening relationship allows Katherena to grow. Themes and illustrations Birdsong touches upon the themes of intergenerational friendship, growth in human connections, passion for art, and seasonal cycles. The book is split into seasonal segments. The intergenerational relationship between Katherena and Agnes is portrayed using the cycle of seasonsspring, summer, fall, winter, spring.