Introducing a beautiful new picture book by two of my favourite creators!
Grandpa and the Kingfisher is a touching story of the the joys of nature and the circle of life, sensitively written by Anna Wilson and gorgeously illustrated by Sarah Massini.
A child and their grandpa are sitting by the river when they spot a blue bird, darting over the glassy water. Its beak long and sharp, and its wings shining like jewels. A kingfisher!
It shoots like an arrow through the water and comes back up with a silver fish hanging from its beak. As Spring turns to Summer the child and their grandpa watch as the kingfisher finds a mate and raises a brood of chicks.
At the same time, we witness the grandfather becoming increasingly tired. “Will they stay together forever, like you and me?” the child asks.
“No one lives forever,” says grandpa. “Only nature goes on forever.”
And so the child learns about the circle of life, until the following spring, when Grandpa is no longer there, the child witnesses the chicks, now fully grown, fishing and getting ready to find mates of their own.
Sarah told me it takes her a full year to illustrate a picture book, and its easy to see why! The illustrations are beautifully observed and incredibly detailed. Each spread is so evocative of lazy days spent on or by a river bursting with life.
Anna Wilson’s descriptive narrative is full of emotion, and draws on her own love of nature and the pain of losing a loved one. Read more about her inspiration here.
A beautifully illustrated and tender story about life, death and the beauty of nature.
Grandpa and the Kingfisher is published by Nosy Crow, 2023.
