The world is a bit of a scary place at the moment. The news isn’t at all happy and everything feels so uncertain. Children help to keep us looking for the positives, and nature can show us all, that things are wonderful in the wilderness.
For a gentle distraction, here is ‘Stella & Mr Robin’. The first short story that I am going to share and which complements my illustration of the same name. Stella, age 7, lives in Norfolk, in the UK with her family – the Howell’s. You can read about them here and how they helped kick-start my project ‘Drawing Nature In’.
Stella & Mr Robin – a short story
“ The garden was so full of bird song, it felt alive! Stella stepped out onto the lawn and felt such graciousness being offered to her. As if she was being welcomed into another family. An almost secret family that revealed great characters – especially if your curiosity stayed long enough!
Two ducks made their way up the lawn. Their determined and decisive waddle, heads held high with startling quacks of enthusiasm. She sensed they thought of themselves as high in the pecking order of birds. These were the teens.
The moorhens, far more demure – elegantly placing oversized feet, one in front of the other. Heads darting back and forth like a motorized toy. The speed at which they could go was inspiring! Their tail feathers resembling the big bustling skirt of a Victorian lady on a mission. These were the mums.
Now the wood pigeons were the grandparents. There to oversee everything was in order. While the little birds chatted and sang around them – blue tits, finches and sparrows, darting around – never still – always on the go. The toddlers.
But one bird always made her feel especially welcome in the garden family. Always waiting for her – and that was Mr Robin – the dad.
Stella walked across the lawn as he appeared between the cherry blossom.
‘Good morning Mr Robin.’ She said.”
I hope you enjoyed it – have you ever thought of birds in this way? This is a first draft and I hope to one day collate all my stories into a book. I would love to hear your thoughts, you can comment below.
Each purchase of my illustration art print ‘Stella & Mr Robin’ arrives with a print of this story.
Click here to go straight to the shop page.
Warm wishes
Juliana x