Sunny and the Birds

Their love of bird watching brings Sunny and his father together as they sit every evening to watch the birds outside. However, as much as Sunny enjoys this pastime, it serves as a reminder to his father of the home they had to leave. As Sunny’s father struggles to accept his new surroundings as home, Sunny devises a plan to help him settle into their new life.

Meddour’s use of bird watching as the focal point of the story is a clever device that acts as a metaphor for migration, while also providing a comforting familiarity for both the characters and the reader. The author’s decision to focus on the parent struggling to adjust to their new surroundings instead of the child is also a clever twist. Meddour’s words are elevated by Nabila Adani’s illustrations which are calming and ethereal. Images of birds are scattered throughout, encouraging the reader to pause and explore the pages. However, further inspection also reveals subtle clues to the family’s circumstances; the family photograph which includes Sunny’s mother, the globe surrounded by different modes of transport, and Nanna Anissa being the only person wearing a headscarf at the school gate.

This is a sweet story about a difficult subject, beautifully told by both author and illustrator.