Gordon Longwood

From the book

A note from the author

This story was written for my grandchildren.

Valentines Park is a real place, and almost everything in this book started with something I saw there. The gulls really do swarm over the lake as if they own it. The magpies really do sit in the trees and cackle like they’re plotting something. And if you’re there as the light fades, you may well see a fox slip quietly across the grass, just as Flint does.

I spent a long time watching them all and wondering what they might be saying to each other. This book is my answer.

But it isn’t really a story about birds. It’s about three things I hope my grandchildren will carry with them as they grow up.

The first is that the world is complicated. There is usually more than one side to a story, and the people shouting loudest don’t always know how it started.

The second is that people can surprise you. Someone you were told to fear might turn out to be the one who sets you free. And someone who seems cold might be quietly trying to do the right thing.

The third is the one I care about most: that the smallest voice can sometimes make the biggest difference. Pip is the smallest bird in this book. He isn’t strong or important, and nobody expects much of him. But he asks questions, he tells the truth, and in the end he is brave enough to speak.

You can be like Pip too.

Gordon Longwood