Loveykins

by Quentin Blake

When Angela Bowling rescues a baby bird after a storm, she finds her very own Loveykins.

Following a blustery night, Angela Bowling finds a baby bird blown out of his nest. She names him Augustus, and he quickly becomes more to her than just a bird to be looked after. He's her little Loveykins.

But Augustus is growing larger and rounder and soon requires a special garden shed to house him. He seems content enough . . . until another night brings even stronger winds.

From the UK's first Children's Laureate, this droll tale about the improbable friendship between a determined, eccentric matron and a young bird is classic Quentin Blake. With his quirky, humorous watercolors and his distinctive storytelling style, Blake gives readers a charming and sensitive treatment of the issues of loving and letting go.

Genres: Picture Books, Childrens, Birds, Animals, Fiction, Humor, Friendship

32 pages, Hardcover

First published February 1, 2002

About the author

Sir Quentin Saxby Blake is an English cartoonist, caricaturist, illustrator and children's writer. He has illustrated over 300 books, including 18 written by Roald Dahl, which are among his most popular works. For his lasting contribution as a children's illustrator he won the biennial international Hans Christian Andersen Award in 2002, the highest recognition available to creators of children's books. From 1999 to 2001, he was the inaugural British Children's Laureate. He is a patron of the Association of Illustrators.

Reviews

[Hilary · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another funny and touching story by this prolific author and illustator. We read this again and again when my children were small and never tired of it.

A baby bird gets lost after a storm. When Angela Bowling finds him, she sets about looking after the little bird and soon becomes quite attached. Loveykins is given the best of everything and is wrapped up and petted to the extreme. He gets bigger and bigger and we meet characters from the village and watch his growing unease between wanting to be independent and quite enjoying being pampered. The conclusion is lovely and all though the much adored baby flies the nest he doesn't completely forget his adopted mother.

We thought that this also has a nice message, although you might enjoy the company of a wild creature, usually undomesticated creatures are better off in the wild, doing their own thing with their own kind, also, one day children will leave their parents but hopefully will drop by from time to time to see how you're getting on.

A fun and inventive story with some lovely and amusing characters.

[Julie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Delightful and surprising! Full of eccentric dotty characters. I was smiling right from the first page. Finally, the story came full circle. Loved it!

[Anna Kļaviņa · Rating 5 out of 5]

A bittersweet and funny tale, brought to life with Blake's signature illustrations. OBSERVER

I how to agree with that.

I didn't know that Quentin Blake writes books I thought he is great illustrator but now I found that he is wonderful storyteller too.

I'm not sure who enjoyed this book more me or Kaito. He absolutely loved the illustrations and pointed to me some details he wanted to share. I ended up reading this book three times in row.

Illustrations and story 5*

[Randie D. Camp, M.S. · Rating 4 out of 5]

Angela finds a bird and makes him hers. She wraps him up in tons of blankets and feeds him the best food. But soon, he is much too big and she has to build him a shed. Will Angela ever be ready to let her loveykins go free?

I love that Blake can be quirky in a fun way! Great book for a fun read.

[Ham · Rating 2 out of 5]

I always associate Quentin Blake's illustrations with Roald Dahl, who happens to be my favorite author. So when I saw this picture book written and illustrated by Blake, it was like discovering the dead sea scrolls.
Unfortunately the content was about as dry. The story started out fun (and of course the illustrations were great) but then it kind of fizzled. I would've given it three stars normally, but because I was so utterly disappointed I had to express it by subtracting a star. Lame, go-nowhere plot, poetic (at least he thought so) ending. Now I understand why I've never heard of Quentin Blake the author.

[Isobel · Rating 5 out of 5]

Lovey kins is about a lovely lady who finds a baby bird and decided to care for him. But when he gets older she realises that the bird does not need to be taken care of.

The book is important because it gives children an important message of caring for others that are in need. It helps children to see that love can help others and make them strong and independent.

The reader would need to bring their experiences to the book, they may need to bring the experiences of love and how love can make others happy and understand how to take care of themselves.

The illustrations in the book are unique, they have bold outlines and a variety of colours. For example, during the storm scene Quentin has used made the page dark and gloomy and he has straight lines to represent the rain pouring down. The illustrations relate to the text because they describe the text clearly which helps the reader to understand what is happening.

[Arminzerella · Rating 3 out of 5]

Angela finds a baby bird that's fallen out of his nest. She names him "Augustus" and proceeds to wrap him in blankets (to keep him from catching a chill) and feed him chocolates and other delicacies (which, you would think would be the death of him, but Augustus must have an iron constitution). He survives all of the tender, loving care (and the nick-name - 'Loveykins'), grows enormous, stretches his wings and takes off for the wilds. Angela recovers from her loss, and occasionally Augusts stops by with a dead beetle or rodent for his once-upon-a-time surrogate mother. Strange story, but appealingly goofy. Quentin Blake's illustrations of the much-padded and pampered bird are laugh-out-loud hysterical.

[Kathy · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a silly book but I liked it.

[Tamara Zann · Rating 4 out of 5]

Disturbing, but in a good sort of way.

[Tonja Drecker · Rating 5 out of 5]

Whimsical meets touching with a pinch of silliness in a read which makes the heart fly.

Angela Bowling is out for a walk, when she discovers a baby bird on the ground. Of course, she's determined to save it and takes it home, where she keeps it warm inside of scarves and quilts, and feeds it only the most delicious foods. They head out for walks together with a new stroller, greet friends, and enjoy each other's company...more or less. When the bird grows too large for the stroller and basket it's been living in, she builds it a shed, and then, things take an interesting turn.

There's such a lovely balance between heart and humor as well as illustration and text. It holds a nice, short story, perfect for story-time and follows an older lady as she adopts a baby bird. The text flows smoothly with a more traditional tale atmosphere, while weaving in dabs of subtle silliness, which will catch listeners' attentions. 'Huh's', comments, giggles, and snorts are sure to sound as quirky details mold right in with the slightly-odd characters. There's sense in nonsense, and it creates a fun read from beginning to end.

Among the silly-seriousness, there is a message of forming friendships and letting go, which leaves off on a nice note. Animal fans will wonder about Bowling's care of the bird, which can open up to a bit of discussion, but this one is all about fun and is sure to become a reading favorite. But then, it already is. I received a DRC and enjoyed this one quite a bit.

[Kate · Rating 4 out of 5]

I stumbled across this book in a completely different way to how I usually discover new books. I bought a second-hand book, an old one, on Ebay and the seller also had this book on offer. Now, despite being in my 40's, I have to admit to really only having discovered Quentin Blake because of his illustrations for Roald Dahl. I loved Dahl as a young girl, and I loved the illustrations that Blake created for his tales. So, Loveykins, was a bit of a new experience for me.
The tale is a charming one. A lady finds a baby bird, who has been blown out of its nest during a storm. Taking the creature home with her, she looks after the bird, feeding it all manner of inappropriate things. The tale is their experience together.
It is a very cute story. As usual, Blake's illustrations perfectly brings the tale to life. There is enough humour there to keep younger readers interested in the tale, and the resolution of the tale is lovely. This was such a cute little book. I think it is one which will stay in my library.

[Adrian · Rating 2 out of 5]

'My goodness,' said Angela. 'It's a baby bird blown out of his nest. He needs someone to look after him.'

We love finding a new Quentin Blake in the charity shop but were a little wary when this one was priced at £2, even in the children's section. The impacts of inflation are now affecting the charity sector and they have to deal with rising rents, lower foot-fall, and increasing shoplifting.

Sadly, the investment doesn't seem justified as this isn't the best of Blake's children's books. The initial premise, an old lady finding an abandoned baby bird, seems strong but it loses it's way somewhat and finished rather weakly.

It'll be added to the collection but I don't think we'll revisit it. 2 1/2 stars.

[Tea73 · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'd only known Blake as Roald Dahl's illustrator, but a friend recommended them to me when I included some children's books on a top ten list. This one bothered me a bit as I feel like it might warrant some discussion about what we really ought to do when we find a baby bird, but thankfully (spoiler alert!) the ending resolves that issue in a nice way. Meanwhile the illustrations are a treat. I particularly like the spread where Loveykins is looking increasingly uncomfortable in a stroller with a parasol, while we see a pair of cute twins, an old lady wheeling dolls, and a young man pushing his brother in a wheelchair. It felt inclusive without bopping you on the head with a message. (Well I did notice there were no people of color and it would have been easy to include them too.)

[Krisz · Rating 1 out of 5]

Another perfect example that just because you illustrate lots of books, it doesn't mean you know story mechanics.
This story was building up without emotions. We never knew how the bird felt so cocooned, so had absolutely no idea what would happen. And when it did, thus it wasn't founded. And how come the bird could fly and that it flew away in 3 pages? And why did it come back? There was no love between them. Why the bird didn't get fat having eaten that much chocolate? Where were the parents? He did fall out from some nest.
So, bad structure :(

[Lauren Drake · Rating 3 out of 5]

Throughout this book, Quentin Blake has highlighted the message that it is important to care and love for those who are in need of it - in this story, the bird is in need of some love and care following a storm, so Angela Bowling showed kindness and decided to do just this for the bird.
The illustration compliment the story nicely, especially the use of colours in pages such as when the storm is shown.

[Zoe Hickey · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book encompasses some important messages about kindness and caring for those who may need support. I think this would be a good book to share with children at the start of a year where you are their teacher to show how you will be there to support and nurture them to make them strong and determined individuals.

I really liked the illustrations too!

[Jennifer McCallum · Rating 4 out of 5]

A lovely story with lots of messages and themes running through it, such as demonstrations of care and love.

Could even be linked to Skellig, how the weak, wrapped up bird can suddenly spread its wings and lift off into the sky.

[Cheryl · Rating 4 out of 5]

At first I was annoyed by the implausibility and the message that it's ok to adopt wildlife. But then I started reading it more as metaphor, and that works so well, especially with the sweet ending, that I'm giving it four full stars.

[Sam Mason · Rating 3 out of 5]

A baby eagle and a woman together like her child

[Wasan · Rating 4 out of 5]

i loved the relationship between Angela Bowling and the little bird which Angela named him "Augustus"

[Aabha Sharma · Rating 5 out of 5]

Sweet story about the smothering kind of love. It’s an unusual theme for a children’s book. Illustrations are marvellous. Some will elicit chuckles.

[Haaley · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love Quentin Blake's illustrations. I had to read it as soon as I saw the cover.

[Pam Page · Rating 5 out of 5]

A cute story with a little surprise towards the end. Love the Quentin Blake illustrations - they have a vintage feel!

[Aidan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Classic Quentin Blake humor (with a beautiful message about respecting autonomy and letting go, to boot.)

[Harri · Rating 4 out of 5]

Quentin Blake's usual charming illustrations, fun and colourful characters. Being pampered is nice, but eventually we will crave freedom.

[Dhwani · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5/5
A warm story

[Jessica · Rating 2 out of 5]

This is a story about Angela Bowling who discovers a baby bird who has been blown from its nest. The story follows the Angela caring for the bird and showing him to her friends and neighbours. The story ends with Augustus the bird becoming a fully grown adult bird. I feel that whilst the story will amuse younger children, especially the bird becoming very overweight and the introduction to Angela's weird and wonderful neighbours, I feel that this book was rather boring. I don't think that there is enough use of effective language such as onomatopoeia or alliteration to keep children interested and amused. However, the illustrations are very effective and amusing.

[Dolly · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is an entertaining story about how babies grow up. And some babies grow up to be quite large. The narrative is fun to read aloud, and we loved the illustrations.

We've been reading several books by Roald Dahl and we knew that Quentin Blake illustrated most, if not all, of them.

So when we saw that this book was written by Mr. Blake, we just knew we had to borrow it from our local library. We enjoyed reading this book together and we've read it a couple of times.

[Louise · Rating 5 out of 5]

You have to love Quentin Blake. His books are always so distinctive, quirky and fun. Here, Angela Bowling a grown up of spinsterish or grandmotherly qualities, finds a baby bird blown out of his nest one morning. Of course she takes him home and feeds him up on black forest cake, chocolate eclairs and creamed carrots. Not surprisingly the baby bird, who she has named Augustus, grows very well, until one day he is old enough to leave the nest again. It all builds up to a one-liner at the end, which is laugh out loud funny.

[Pam · Rating 4 out of 5]

Sweet, humorous with an unexpected ending, just what I expect from Quentin Blake. I loved it. Perhaps not his best, but a delightful book. I am always amazed how much Blake can communicate with his illustrations and how much the illustrations add to the story. I wonder if the people, who do not appreciate this book, really looked at the illustrations. I would love to introduce this book to a young child and point out all the wonderful and funny details in the illustrations.