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My Dad's A Birdman
by David Almond & Polly Dunbar
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"Are me feet off the floor yet? Are me feet off the floor?" In a rainy town in the north of England, there are strange goings-on. Dad is building a pair of wings, eating flies, and feathering his nest. Auntie Doreen is getting cross and making dumplings. Mr Poop is parading the streets, shouting louder and louder, and even Mr Mint, the head teacher, is getting in a flap. And watching it all is Lizzie, missing her mam and looking after her dad and thinking how beautiful the birds are. What's behind it all? It's the Great Human Bird Competition, of course. Who will be the first to fly across the River Tyne? David Almond's barmy, tender and funny tale about wings and faith, written for the Young Vic to accompany their production of Skellig.…
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"Although it is never explicitly stated, the mother has passed away and the father is experiencing profound grief. His behaviour is erratic. He struggles to get out of bed. All the while there is a metaphor of flight. Flight is literally his way out of depression. Flight is hope in this book. It is gritty and there are magical elements. The father needs to win the human bird competition because it gives him a motive to move on. Another character, Aunty Doreen, is a very welcome comic character who brings a bit of light relief…In general the book is touching and very funny. Lord knows how any of us would respond to extreme grief . This is about a father expressing his grief – I don’t think you would have had a story like this 15 years ago. This book is a clever exploration of this experience in life. David Almond sets this book in the North of England and this grounds the book in the lives of ordinary people. It is gritty and real — and this makes the story all the more powerful."