BookBrowse Reviews My Dad's A Birdman by David Almond, Polly Dunbar

BookBrowse:

A bittersweet and nimbly-illustrated tale for ages 9+

This bittersweet and nimbly-illustrated tale of a wise girl whose bird-brained father attempts to rise above earthly sorrow will lift the spirits of readers young and old.

Bird-men interest David Almond. His celebrated and award-winning debut novel, Skellig, concerns a boy's discovery of a winged man-creature languishing in the derelict garage of his new house. The boy and a bird-loving neighbor befriend, protect and fortify the birdman with ale and Chinese food while the boy's infant sister hovers near death in the hospital.

In this, Almond's first book for young readers, grief weighs so heavily on Lizzie's widowed father that she has assumed the role of caretaker. Lizzie discovers the only thing that engages and enlivens her father is an upcoming human flight competition. A disheveled Daedalus imprisoned in a maze of sorrow, he's lovingly constructed bird-feathered wings, and has even adopted an avian diet of flies and worms in his effort to become airborne.

In Skellig, the shadowy and mysterious forces of loss and decay are everywhere: the dark garage full of cobwebs, dried out bluebottles, and discarded things is the birdman's refuge and he is becoming one with it. Undiscovered, he, and the old black suit that covers his brittle wings would surely have mummified and become a thing in a jumble of things.

In contrast, the house on Lark Lane that Lizzie and her father share is a bright and sunny place. My Dad's a Birdman began as a play, and Almond has located the forces of darkness offstage. Almond's wit, shameless silliness and exuberant alliteration ("Look, there goes Elastic Eddie from Elsmere Port! And Danny the Dart from Donegal! Whirligig Winnie from Wye! Come and see the Bouncing Bess from Baffin Bay!") coupled with Polly Dunbar's lively and joyful illustrations, affirm throughout the springtime world of tea and jam and toast, traffic and birdsong.

On Lark Lane the grotesque and dangerous become comical and lyrical: Rather than fearing it, Lizzie embraces her father's desperate project, adopts a new last name (Crow), offers suggestions on wing-construction and design; and helps build, and then occupies his large, indoor nest. Lizzie, who shared the loss that has crushed her father, discovers that she can also share his yearning for lightheartedness and joy.

Amusing minor characters (and many birds) populate the tale: Mr. Mint, shy and amorous headmaster at Lizzie's school; Mr. Poop, human flight competition spokesman, organizer and hawker; and most down-to-earth, Lizzie's Aunt Doreen, a worrier and a fusser who shows her love through food, specifically the leaden but delicious suet dumplings she presses upon Lizzie, her father, Mr. Mint, or tosses around to punctuate her conversations.

But even the gravitas of Aunt Doreen's dumplings cannot stop time or the arrival of the Great Human Bird Competition. Nor can they deter Lizzie and her father from their grand attempt at flight:

"'…Give them plenty of space, now,' said Mr. Poop, more softly. 'Stand aside. Wings and faith!' he whispered through his megaphone. 'Nothing fancy for the Crows. No machines or engines or slings or elastic bands. Wings and faith and hope and . . . dare I say it? . . . love!'"

The Crows' flight from and their return to earth are exhilarating, wistful and lyrical. Almond has written a fable and the language is poem-like, even delicate, throughout. Children will enjoy reading about silly grownups and wise kids. Adults, more keenly mortal, will, with a pang, recognize Lizzie's father's impulse to, as Robert Frost put in his poem "Birches, " …get away from earth awhile/And then come back to it and begin over."

Suet Dumplings
Lizzie's Aunt Doreen specializes in leaden but delicious suet dumplings. The BBC offers this authentically down to earth British recipe:

8oz plain flour
4oz shredded suet
3oz fine white breadcrumbs
2 tsp parsley, chopped
2 tsp chives, chopped
salt and freshly ground white pepper
17oz beef stock

Combine the first five ingredients, mixing well. Work to a paste with cold beef stock, adding just enough to bind all the ingredients. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
Heat the remaining beef stock in a saucepan and bring to the boil. Shape the paste into ¾ inch dumplings and drop them into boiling beef stock. Cook until light and puffed up. This should take about 30 minutes.

This review was originally published in The BookBrowse Review in May 2008, and has been updated for the April 2011 edition. Click here to go to this issue.