To my wonderful parents and Peter, Emelie, Mathilda and Moritz. With heartfelt thanks to Nadine. — E.C.S.
Clara and the Birds Text copyright © 2024 Emma Christina Simpson Illustration copyright © 2024 Emma Christina Simpson Copyright © Milky Way Picture Books
ISBN: 978-1-990252-34-1 Printed and bound in China Milky Way Picture Books 38 Sainte-Anne Street Varennes, QC J3X 1R5 Canada www.milkywaypicturebooks.com
All rights reserved. Editorial, art direction and design by Nadine Robert Prepress by Jolin Masson Proofreading by Nick Frost
We acknowledge the support of the Government of Canada.
This edition published in 2024 by Milky Way Picture Books, an imprint of Comme des géants inc. Varennes, Quebec, Canada. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or transmitted, in any form or by any means, without prior written consent of the publisher or a license The Canadian Copyright Licensing Agency (Access Copyright). For an Access Copyright license, visit www.accesscopyright.ca or call toll free to 1-800-893-5777. Library and Archives Canada cataloguing in publication Title: Clara and the birds / written and illustrated by Emma Christina Simpson. Names: Simpson, Christina Emma, author, illustrator. Identifiers: Canadiana 20230065716 | ISBN 9781990252341 (hardcover) Classification: LCC PZ7.1.S56 Cl 2024 | DDC j823/.92—dc23
We gratefully acknowledge for their financial support of our publishing program the Canada Council for the Arts and the Government of Canada.
Story and art by Emma Simpson
For as long as she can remember, Clara has been fascinated by birds.
She loves to watch as they dip and dive, soar and glide in endless spaces.
The problem is she only ever catches a quick glimpse,
before they’re off out of sight.
It’s only ever happened once that a bird sat next to Clara.
And when it did, her body fizzed with a quiet joy!
But the moment was over to0 soon and, with a swish of feathers, the bird was gone.
“I was meant to be a bird,” Clara thinks to herself. “Birds don’t ask questions or frown when I don’t answer them.”
Despite often choosing to play alone,
End of browsing...
End of browsing...
For as long as she can remember, Clara has been fascinated with birds — where they go, how they take flight, and the way they immediately fly away when approached. Like the birds she so admires, Clara is considered shy by those around her, feeling the urge to flee the company of others. Convinced that her desire to be alone is a weakness, she struggles to find her voice or recognize her own inner strength. That is, until the day she meets a bird who doesn’t fly away.
ISBN 978-1-990252-34-1 U.S. $20.99 Can. $23.99 52099