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Birdie: A powerful, moving animal and friendship tale for fans of Michael Morpurgo
When Birdie is sent to live with her great-aunt in 1950s Yorkshire, she befriends the village's last remaining pit pony. A story of hope and courage, exploring themes of family, racism and identity.
‘Captivating’ A. F. Steadman
‘A tender and touching story for animal lovers everywhere’ Hannah Gold
Birdie Bagshaw has never known her parents. Having grown up in a children's home for mixed race children in 1950s Leeds, now she has come to live with her great-aunt in the Yorkshire Dales. From her arrival, Birdie is treated like an outsider by the local children. When their bullying drives Birdie to hide in the nearby coal mine, she finds an unexpected rescuer in the form of Mr Duke, the last remaining pit pony in the village. As the weeks pass, Birdie forms a special bond with the spirited little pony. But his future is in danger, and Birdie comes up with a daring plan to save his life in return . . .
Cover art by Keith Robinson
‘Captivating’ A. F. Steadman
‘A tender and touching story for animal lovers everywhere’ Hannah Gold
Birdie Bagshaw has never known her parents. Having grown up in a children's home for mixed race children in 1950s Leeds, now she has come to live with her great-aunt in the Yorkshire Dales. From her arrival, Birdie is treated like an outsider by the local children. When their bullying drives Birdie to hide in the nearby coal mine, she finds an unexpected rescuer in the form of Mr Duke, the last remaining pit pony in the village. As the weeks pass, Birdie forms a special bond with the spirited little pony. But his future is in danger, and Birdie comes up with a daring plan to save his life in return . . .
Cover art by Keith Robinson
256 pages, Paperback
Published October 3, 2024
2 people are currently reading
97 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 31 reviews
October 27, 2024
I received an advance reader copy of this book to read in exchange for an honest review as part of the book tour hosted by Kaleidoscopic book tours.
Birdie is one of the most moving and powerful stories I have ever read. As soon as I saw this cover, I knew I had to read this book - it just spoke to me. Set in the 1950s, we follow a young girl called Birdie who lives in a children's home for what was referred to as for 'brown babies' back in that time period. When Birdies great aunt writes to her to offer her a home in the Yorkshire Dales, Birdie immediately says yes but then gets nervous about leaving the only home she's ever known. Birdie arrives at her aunts to a strange welcome that leaves Birdie confused and unsure. Not many of the locals are friendly towards her, and she struggles to understand why. As Birdie navigates the racist treatment of those around her, she comes across an old pit pony she names Mr Duke, and the pair find a connection, love, and companionship within each other.
I loved how the author handled aspects in this book compassionately and inspirationally and in a way that is perfect for young readers to read and understand. I could see aspects of myself in Birdie from my own youth and can only imagine how hard it must have been for children of colour back then. This is an important story that is perfect for a classroom story, discussion point, and literacy work.
The book had me absolutely sobbing at the end, and I had to keep stopping as I couldn't see through my tears. This book is nestled deep in my heart and will always have a space there.
Birdie is one of the most moving and powerful stories I have ever read. As soon as I saw this cover, I knew I had to read this book - it just spoke to me. Set in the 1950s, we follow a young girl called Birdie who lives in a children's home for what was referred to as for 'brown babies' back in that time period. When Birdies great aunt writes to her to offer her a home in the Yorkshire Dales, Birdie immediately says yes but then gets nervous about leaving the only home she's ever known. Birdie arrives at her aunts to a strange welcome that leaves Birdie confused and unsure. Not many of the locals are friendly towards her, and she struggles to understand why. As Birdie navigates the racist treatment of those around her, she comes across an old pit pony she names Mr Duke, and the pair find a connection, love, and companionship within each other.
I loved how the author handled aspects in this book compassionately and inspirationally and in a way that is perfect for young readers to read and understand. I could see aspects of myself in Birdie from my own youth and can only imagine how hard it must have been for children of colour back then. This is an important story that is perfect for a classroom story, discussion point, and literacy work.
The book had me absolutely sobbing at the end, and I had to keep stopping as I couldn't see through my tears. This book is nestled deep in my heart and will always have a space there.
October 16, 2024
Birdie is now up on the bookcase nestled in between Kes and Goodnight Mr Tom. I never thought I'd find a book that would be parallel to them, one that would have such an emotional impact on me and stay with me long after I'd finished turning the last page.
Birdie is a bright and bubbly young girl, she loves animals, birds and insects. She forms a wonderful bond with an abandoned pit pony she calls Mr Duke. What she doesn't understand is why she's treated so differently just because her skins a different colour.
The author's research into the time period is evident and the story has been written in layman's terms so is easy for your YA to understand the impact of racism and politics.
I finished the book smiling through the tears. It's enjoyable, emotional and I would so love to see a film version being made.
Birdie is a bright and bubbly young girl, she loves animals, birds and insects. She forms a wonderful bond with an abandoned pit pony she calls Mr Duke. What she doesn't understand is why she's treated so differently just because her skins a different colour.
The author's research into the time period is evident and the story has been written in layman's terms so is easy for your YA to understand the impact of racism and politics.
I finished the book smiling through the tears. It's enjoyable, emotional and I would so love to see a film version being made.
August 8, 2024
Set in the 1950s, BIRDIE follows the protagonist of the same name, a ten-year-old girl living in a children’s home in Leeds - until her great-aunt and uncle invite her to come and live with them in their little village in the Dales. However, Birdie stands out even before she leaves Leeds: she’s mixed-race, and in the all-white village, only a tiny proportion of people are welcoming - if anyone. However, Birdie finds a kindred spirit in Mr. Duke, the last pit pony in residence in the now-nationalised coal mine, and soon her mission turns into a race against time to save him from the grinding existence of the mine - and from the knackers.
Almost immediately, the premise of BIRDIE might be familiar, though this isn’t something that works to its detriment (the opposite, in fact): it’s strikingly similar to THE SECRET GARDEN, with a young protagonist leaving their previous life to live with previously unknown relatives in Yorkshire who, though initially spiky and unwelcoming, overcome the lingering pain of their pasts with the help of the new figure in their household, who forms a close relationship with nature in the process. However, unlike Mary Lennox - who I’m sure has aggravated generations since publication - Birdie is a delight to read. She’s a driven little chatterbox, full of opinions, and her love of animals - from the pigeons at the children’s home and her ladybirds kept in numerous matchboxes, to the pony Mr Duke - is beautifully woven in. Particularly enjoyable is the consistent use of Yorkshire dialect within the dialogue for the duration of the novel, which gives it a sense of authenticity and such a concrete sense of location that it’s easy to be transported, not to mention a distinct narrative voice which sometimes gets missing in stricter RP-based editing.
Even if Birdie wasn’t such an enjoyable character to read, the depictions of racism within the novel are heartbreaking despite their tailored appropriateness for a children’s novel teaching about anti-racism. The daughter of a white woman and a Black American GI during the Second World War, the children’s home in which Birdie spends the first decade of her life is one of the numerous homes for ‘brown babies’ established following the end of the war, due to stigma placed on mothers for having illegitimate, mixed-race children, and the belief that only white children would be taken in by foster families (in the second season of her brilliant podcast BAD WOMEN, Hallie Rubenhold does an equally brilliant episode on the treatment of these ‘brown babies’, which I really recommend if you’re curious for further information!). Many of the injustices Birdie faces take the form of micro-aggressions (which often breach into very much macro-aggressions), from jabs about her hair and being stared at in the village, to asking her where she’s really from and assuming she must be cheating when she gives correct answers in school. Especially visceral is her great-aunt’s initial refusal to acknowledge her as her relative, made especially poignant due to Birdie’s background within the children’s home, filled with children alike her, and her relationship with the motherly Mrs Dudley, who she repeatedly thinks of when her aunt treats her coldly: in an all-white environment for the first time in her life, Birdie quite literally cannot work out why she’s being singled out until about halfway through the novel. Heartbreaking from two perspectives - the dramatic irony from readers who understand precisely what’s going, and the jarring truth, perhaps for young readers being introduced to the concept for the first time - I was very much reminded of Sam Selvon’s novel THE LONELY LONDONERS and the comments from its ensemble cast: the only difference between racism in 1950s America and 1950s England was that in England, people pretended to be more polite about it.
One of the biggest triumphs of BIRDIE, aside from its ability to pull on the heartstrings (and make me cry), is the seamlessly woven-in historical context throughout: often, it’s unclear where we designate ‘history’ to really begin, so the 1950s isn’t really a distinct time with coverage in historical fiction. Birdie as a newcomer character is an excellent device to make this accessible, however: her perspective conveys new information in a way which is unlikely to overwhelm young readers, and even complex topics, such as the nationalisation of coal mines by the Labour government following the Second World War, is made tangible and understandable through Birdie’s interactions in Barrington Dale. The shadows of the War are still visible in the village, on a macro level through the almost-closed mine, but on a much more personal level through the lost son of Birdie’s aunt and uncle, who quite literally haunts the narrative as a photograph until his identity is revealed (how very SECRET GARDEN). While Birdie’s aunt is a fairly horrid figure at the novel’s inception, this weaving of historical context - grieving a son lost to war without much closure - she’s also a complex one, and one which, to her credit, overcomes her initial feelings and is soon Birdie’s staunch defender; it’s a really deft characterisation by Rose, to present her as both a suffering and grieving woman while similarly a cold figure in an environment where change is not only rare, but unwelcome, and her change of behaviours is very gratifying to read.
If BIRDIE’s first act is evocative of THE SECRET GARDEN, the remainder of the novel is almost an updated BLACK BEAUTY. Stumbling into the coal mine to hide from bullies, Birdie discovers a pony she names Mr Duke; a pit pony used to pull coal about the mine following the outlawing of children working in mines, Birdie is horrified to learn that he is almost destined to spend his entire life underground, and becomes determined to at first ease his laborious existence, before her outright rescue mission to save him from the (sincerely very creepy) knacker. The pit pony welfare outrage to Anna Sewell’s bearing-rein hatred, the theme of both Birdie and Mr Duke as outsiders in such a distinctive time-period is really touching. Current middle-grade is full of children forming unique bonds with animals, but Rose adopts an approach to this which really stands out in the current market. Birdie also makes for a unique take on the horse-girl archetype in middle-grade: she doesn’t obsess over expensive equipment or winning showjumping competitions, but following a life in urban Leeds and isolation in Barrington Dale, is quite simply enamoured with Mr Duke - established through her gift of an encyclopedia about horses, which she reads aloud at regular intervals in a very relatable depiction of a child with Lots to Say.
Twisting familiar tropes and narratives into a new story altogether, BIRDIE is a really sweet middle-grade with lots of heart. It’s a book I can imagine becoming the basis for numerous classroom discussions, not to mention conversations between young readers and relatives who may have lived during the 50s, and may understand some of Birdie’s more obscure historical references: by taking aspects of history which have been so consistently neglected, Rose has established a book which is bound to take up semi-permanent residence on numerous Waterstones tables, and not just in the North.
Almost immediately, the premise of BIRDIE might be familiar, though this isn’t something that works to its detriment (the opposite, in fact): it’s strikingly similar to THE SECRET GARDEN, with a young protagonist leaving their previous life to live with previously unknown relatives in Yorkshire who, though initially spiky and unwelcoming, overcome the lingering pain of their pasts with the help of the new figure in their household, who forms a close relationship with nature in the process. However, unlike Mary Lennox - who I’m sure has aggravated generations since publication - Birdie is a delight to read. She’s a driven little chatterbox, full of opinions, and her love of animals - from the pigeons at the children’s home and her ladybirds kept in numerous matchboxes, to the pony Mr Duke - is beautifully woven in. Particularly enjoyable is the consistent use of Yorkshire dialect within the dialogue for the duration of the novel, which gives it a sense of authenticity and such a concrete sense of location that it’s easy to be transported, not to mention a distinct narrative voice which sometimes gets missing in stricter RP-based editing.
Even if Birdie wasn’t such an enjoyable character to read, the depictions of racism within the novel are heartbreaking despite their tailored appropriateness for a children’s novel teaching about anti-racism. The daughter of a white woman and a Black American GI during the Second World War, the children’s home in which Birdie spends the first decade of her life is one of the numerous homes for ‘brown babies’ established following the end of the war, due to stigma placed on mothers for having illegitimate, mixed-race children, and the belief that only white children would be taken in by foster families (in the second season of her brilliant podcast BAD WOMEN, Hallie Rubenhold does an equally brilliant episode on the treatment of these ‘brown babies’, which I really recommend if you’re curious for further information!). Many of the injustices Birdie faces take the form of micro-aggressions (which often breach into very much macro-aggressions), from jabs about her hair and being stared at in the village, to asking her where she’s really from and assuming she must be cheating when she gives correct answers in school. Especially visceral is her great-aunt’s initial refusal to acknowledge her as her relative, made especially poignant due to Birdie’s background within the children’s home, filled with children alike her, and her relationship with the motherly Mrs Dudley, who she repeatedly thinks of when her aunt treats her coldly: in an all-white environment for the first time in her life, Birdie quite literally cannot work out why she’s being singled out until about halfway through the novel. Heartbreaking from two perspectives - the dramatic irony from readers who understand precisely what’s going, and the jarring truth, perhaps for young readers being introduced to the concept for the first time - I was very much reminded of Sam Selvon’s novel THE LONELY LONDONERS and the comments from its ensemble cast: the only difference between racism in 1950s America and 1950s England was that in England, people pretended to be more polite about it.
One of the biggest triumphs of BIRDIE, aside from its ability to pull on the heartstrings (and make me cry), is the seamlessly woven-in historical context throughout: often, it’s unclear where we designate ‘history’ to really begin, so the 1950s isn’t really a distinct time with coverage in historical fiction. Birdie as a newcomer character is an excellent device to make this accessible, however: her perspective conveys new information in a way which is unlikely to overwhelm young readers, and even complex topics, such as the nationalisation of coal mines by the Labour government following the Second World War, is made tangible and understandable through Birdie’s interactions in Barrington Dale. The shadows of the War are still visible in the village, on a macro level through the almost-closed mine, but on a much more personal level through the lost son of Birdie’s aunt and uncle, who quite literally haunts the narrative as a photograph until his identity is revealed (how very SECRET GARDEN). While Birdie’s aunt is a fairly horrid figure at the novel’s inception, this weaving of historical context - grieving a son lost to war without much closure - she’s also a complex one, and one which, to her credit, overcomes her initial feelings and is soon Birdie’s staunch defender; it’s a really deft characterisation by Rose, to present her as both a suffering and grieving woman while similarly a cold figure in an environment where change is not only rare, but unwelcome, and her change of behaviours is very gratifying to read.
If BIRDIE’s first act is evocative of THE SECRET GARDEN, the remainder of the novel is almost an updated BLACK BEAUTY. Stumbling into the coal mine to hide from bullies, Birdie discovers a pony she names Mr Duke; a pit pony used to pull coal about the mine following the outlawing of children working in mines, Birdie is horrified to learn that he is almost destined to spend his entire life underground, and becomes determined to at first ease his laborious existence, before her outright rescue mission to save him from the (sincerely very creepy) knacker. The pit pony welfare outrage to Anna Sewell’s bearing-rein hatred, the theme of both Birdie and Mr Duke as outsiders in such a distinctive time-period is really touching. Current middle-grade is full of children forming unique bonds with animals, but Rose adopts an approach to this which really stands out in the current market. Birdie also makes for a unique take on the horse-girl archetype in middle-grade: she doesn’t obsess over expensive equipment or winning showjumping competitions, but following a life in urban Leeds and isolation in Barrington Dale, is quite simply enamoured with Mr Duke - established through her gift of an encyclopedia about horses, which she reads aloud at regular intervals in a very relatable depiction of a child with Lots to Say.
Twisting familiar tropes and narratives into a new story altogether, BIRDIE is a really sweet middle-grade with lots of heart. It’s a book I can imagine becoming the basis for numerous classroom discussions, not to mention conversations between young readers and relatives who may have lived during the 50s, and may understand some of Birdie’s more obscure historical references: by taking aspects of history which have been so consistently neglected, Rose has established a book which is bound to take up semi-permanent residence on numerous Waterstones tables, and not just in the North.
February 9, 2025
Set in the 1950s Yorkshire Birdie comes
To live with her aunt and uncle after years in a children’s home being a child of mixed race she faces ignorance and racism feeling isolated she befriends a pit pony tissues required ……..60 minutes later and I’m still crying 😢
To live with her aunt and uncle after years in a children’s home being a child of mixed race she faces ignorance and racism feeling isolated she befriends a pit pony tissues required ……..60 minutes later and I’m still crying 😢
October 16, 2024
Absolutely wonderful. This deserves to be a classic. I really urge primary school teachers to make this a class read.
Further review to come.
Further review to come.
October 19, 2024
It’s a commonly held opinion that the best children’s books are just as good for an adult reader as for a child, and this book proves it. It’s accessible and appropriate for a child, but is written with more care and depth than many adult novels.
In many ways, it was a very nostalgic read for me. I was instantly transported back to my childhood bedroom, devouring Michael Morpurgo and Philip Pullman. I vividly remember sobbing my eyes out at Morpurgo’s Out of the Ashes, and confessing to my parents that I’d stayed up past my bedtime to read it because I was crying so hard. All those emotions were just as present here, so tantalisingly close to the surface, with a rawness that is only possible in children’s fiction.
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I loved how the author, J. P. Rose, trusted the reader. Birdie’s race (while obvious from the cover) is not explicitly raised to start with, while Birdie tries to piece together why her new family and neighbours treat her so differently than she is used to. Rose trusts that the reader will realise before Birdie does, and I think that’s such a powerful thing in a children’s book.
There are so many themes touched upon in this book, all handled with such care. The historical context is also brilliantly realised, with just enough explanation to give us understanding, but enough left shown rather than said. There’s an excellent historical note at the end (and we all know I’m a sucker for a good historical note!) which provides additional context for anything we might have either missed, or just want to know more about.
This is a book that invites you in. It invites you into Birdie’s world, but it also invites you to be curious and compassionate. I really hope that this becomes an instant classic, and that we get more children’s books from J. P. Rose in the future.
I received a free copy for an honest review.
In many ways, it was a very nostalgic read for me. I was instantly transported back to my childhood bedroom, devouring Michael Morpurgo and Philip Pullman. I vividly remember sobbing my eyes out at Morpurgo’s Out of the Ashes, and confessing to my parents that I’d stayed up past my bedtime to read it because I was crying so hard. All those emotions were just as present here, so tantalisingly close to the surface, with a rawness that is only possible in children’s fiction.
📚Blog📖YouTube📖Instagram📚
I loved how the author, J. P. Rose, trusted the reader. Birdie’s race (while obvious from the cover) is not explicitly raised to start with, while Birdie tries to piece together why her new family and neighbours treat her so differently than she is used to. Rose trusts that the reader will realise before Birdie does, and I think that’s such a powerful thing in a children’s book.
There are so many themes touched upon in this book, all handled with such care. The historical context is also brilliantly realised, with just enough explanation to give us understanding, but enough left shown rather than said. There’s an excellent historical note at the end (and we all know I’m a sucker for a good historical note!) which provides additional context for anything we might have either missed, or just want to know more about.
This is a book that invites you in. It invites you into Birdie’s world, but it also invites you to be curious and compassionate. I really hope that this becomes an instant classic, and that we get more children’s books from J. P. Rose in the future.
I received a free copy for an honest review.
October 16, 2024
“Birdie” by Anna Groves is just perfect. And let me tell you, it hit me right in the feels! This book was like a warm hug – so comforting and relatable. Birdie, the main character, is just the sweetest thing. Despite dealing with some heavy stuff like family drama, racism, and figuring out who she is, she stays so pure and innocent.
“Birdie” is set in the 1950s, and poor Birdie gets shipped off to live with her great-aunt in this tiny Yorkshire village called Barrington Dale. And let me tell you, this place is gossip central! Everyone knows everyone's business – it's wild!
When Birdie first arrives, my heart just broke for her. Here's this bubbly, bright-eyed kid, and you've got all these people trying to put her in a box and squash her spirit. Not cool, folks!
But here's where it gets good – on her first day of school, Birdie has a run-in with some bullies (ugh, the worst) and ends up hiding out in an old being dropped into a mine shaft. And guess what? She meets this adorable, spunky little pony she names Mr. Duke. Talk about a silver lining! From there Birdie’s adventure begins.
The author really did her homework on the 1950s, and it shows. But don't worry, it's not like reading a history textbook or anything. She breaks down all the racism and political stuff in a way that's super easy to get, even if you're not a history buff. The book honestly just flows and flows. Such a quick and easy YA/Middle school read.
I'm not gonna lie, I was a mess by the end of this book – smiling and crying at the same time. It's just so good! It'll take you on an emotional journey in the best way possible.
If you're looking for a book that'll make you laugh, cry, and feel all warm and fuzzy inside, “Birdie” is it. Trust me, you won't regret picking this one up!
“Birdie” is set in the 1950s, and poor Birdie gets shipped off to live with her great-aunt in this tiny Yorkshire village called Barrington Dale. And let me tell you, this place is gossip central! Everyone knows everyone's business – it's wild!
When Birdie first arrives, my heart just broke for her. Here's this bubbly, bright-eyed kid, and you've got all these people trying to put her in a box and squash her spirit. Not cool, folks!
But here's where it gets good – on her first day of school, Birdie has a run-in with some bullies (ugh, the worst) and ends up hiding out in an old being dropped into a mine shaft. And guess what? She meets this adorable, spunky little pony she names Mr. Duke. Talk about a silver lining! From there Birdie’s adventure begins.
The author really did her homework on the 1950s, and it shows. But don't worry, it's not like reading a history textbook or anything. She breaks down all the racism and political stuff in a way that's super easy to get, even if you're not a history buff. The book honestly just flows and flows. Such a quick and easy YA/Middle school read.
I'm not gonna lie, I was a mess by the end of this book – smiling and crying at the same time. It's just so good! It'll take you on an emotional journey in the best way possible.
If you're looking for a book that'll make you laugh, cry, and feel all warm and fuzzy inside, “Birdie” is it. Trust me, you won't regret picking this one up!
December 10, 2024
Birdie is a tender and sweet children’s middle-grade story that explores many hard-hitting issues related to identity, bullying, and racism.
The story is set in the UK in the 1950s and features a young girl called Birdie who has lived in a children’s home for mixed-raced youngsters all her life, never knowing her parents. That is until her Great Aunt expresses a desire for Birdie to live with her in the Yorkshire dales.
Birdie doesn’t want to go but plucks up the courage to leave those who have cared for her and her friends in the hope of a more stable life, what she gets is anything but, especially as her aunt didn’t realise until Birdie showed up on her doorstep that she is mixed-race.
From this bad start to the children at her new school mistreating her and to feeling like an outsider, Birdie is alone and scared until she meets a pit pony, and the two become close. However, the pony’s future is in jeopardy and Birdie is determined to save its life.
This is such a beautiful book that teaches children many lessons and also educates them about life in the 1950s. It is breath-taking at times and J.P. Rose is such a tremendous storyteller that you can’t help but be sucked into the plot and held captive. I read the book in just two sittings as I didn’t want to put it down once I’d begun.
Birdie is a glorious character who has so much strength for someone so young. This doesn’t mean she doesn’t get hurt or upset as she does often it is that she has the inner strength to keep on putting one foot in front of the other and to get up every day and face the world over and over again.
The book is an emotional rollercoaster and one that will have a lasting effect on its young audience.
The story is set in the UK in the 1950s and features a young girl called Birdie who has lived in a children’s home for mixed-raced youngsters all her life, never knowing her parents. That is until her Great Aunt expresses a desire for Birdie to live with her in the Yorkshire dales.
Birdie doesn’t want to go but plucks up the courage to leave those who have cared for her and her friends in the hope of a more stable life, what she gets is anything but, especially as her aunt didn’t realise until Birdie showed up on her doorstep that she is mixed-race.
From this bad start to the children at her new school mistreating her and to feeling like an outsider, Birdie is alone and scared until she meets a pit pony, and the two become close. However, the pony’s future is in jeopardy and Birdie is determined to save its life.
This is such a beautiful book that teaches children many lessons and also educates them about life in the 1950s. It is breath-taking at times and J.P. Rose is such a tremendous storyteller that you can’t help but be sucked into the plot and held captive. I read the book in just two sittings as I didn’t want to put it down once I’d begun.
Birdie is a glorious character who has so much strength for someone so young. This doesn’t mean she doesn’t get hurt or upset as she does often it is that she has the inner strength to keep on putting one foot in front of the other and to get up every day and face the world over and over again.
The book is an emotional rollercoaster and one that will have a lasting effect on its young audience.
March 30, 2025
Such an excellent book. I loved it, and could happily re-read again. Birdie is a happy girl, moving on from her childrens home to live with her (unknown) relatives. The village folk are, at first, unaccepting of her, due to her mix-race and skin colour (good to teach about racism messages) but Birdie cannot understand why. As a secondary school librarian, I would very happily recommend this to students who like animals (pit ponies), history, or stories about families. A modern classic in the making.
February 21, 2025
What a lovely book!. In many ways, it's quite old fashioned but in a good way. Gentle, beautifully written but would appeal to more than animal story lovers. Kindness, acceptance and helping those in need ate key themes explored through Birdies tale.
As a person of a certain age, I did smile at the explanations : never thought I'd see such good descriptions of key background info, like the Coal industry!
Fantastic reading from cover to vover
As a person of a certain age, I did smile at the explanations : never thought I'd see such good descriptions of key background info, like the Coal industry!
Fantastic reading from cover to vover
October 19, 2024
As a high school teacher, I can see this being a book that lasts the ages. One that I’ll teach to pupils for many years to come. Timeless. Heartfelt. Important. A book that follows the story of Birdie Bagshaw. A stoic, funny, resilient young girl who faces many challenges. Loved it. Highly recommend. Does remind me of Micheal Morpurgo ❤️
February 28, 2025
Such a well-told story. Birdie’s character is spirited yet so sweet too. We are sorry that Birdie must face such prejudice and have to struggle to find acceptance, friendship, family, love and a place she can call home, when she is so innocent and good, and undeserving of such adversity. The author addresses these themes brilliantly whilst taking the reader on a compelling narrative journey.
November 18, 2024
My 10 year old horse loving self would have adored this book and connected so well with Birdie ! This was such an emotional and sweet read with 2 brilliantly loveable characters. Perfect for the younger readers!
December 31, 2024
What I particularly loved about this story is that author Jacqui Rose has taken the inspiration from her own past to adapt one the best stories that I have read about being fostered. My favourite lines from chapter 6 page 21 Birdie quickly followed her aunt to the end of the black-and-red quarry-tiled hallway. The door opened with a creak into a small tidy backroom, and Birdie’s gaze took it all in. A chipped stone hearth nursed a coal fire where orange and yellow flames danced without vigour, whilst a chair covered in a brown crocheted blanket sat empty and alone in the corner. Faded newspaper was taped to the tiny windowpanes to keep in the heat, and the grandfather clock ticked slowly and miserably as it stood to attention on the other side of the room. Even though they were in the Dales, and Leeds wasn’t so very far, it felt like a whole ocean away from the children’s home she’d just come from. This story set in Yorkshire is perfect for middle grade readers, and bloggers that love reading stories that will capture your heart. Birdie Bagshaw has been through so much being in a home, and experiencing bullying. It’s amazing how Children often bond with animals, and Birdie has a heart of gold she shows love, and care for a little pony, that I don’t want to give too much away in what Birdie does to help this lovely little pony. This story may tug on your heart, but it absolutely adorable, in many ways. The cover is absolutely beautiful! My special thanks to Walker Books for arranging for this lovely book to be sent to me.
July 8, 2025
Highly recommend this story. Full of Northern grit and emotions. Birdie is a strong character and, despite all the disadvantages, knows her own mind and lives out her beliefs. The portrayal of 1950's Northern village life is fabulous (I particularly liked Rev Hepplethwaite!)
November 29, 2025
Wonderful children's book. There's so much children can learn about post-war Britain through this, and it's beautifully written and uplifting. The main character of Birdie will definitely keep young readers engaged and her personality is wonderfully developed and shines through the whole story.
December 10, 2025
Eine spannende und gesellschaftlich wichtige Erzählung. Die Auseinandersetzung mit rassistischen Strukturen in Birdies Welt ist kindpassend dargestellt. Für Kinder ab 8 Jahren gut lesbar, auch zum gemeinsamen Lesen mit Eltern oder Freunden.
October 21, 2024
Loved this! Brilliant read.
January 4, 2025
Absolutely lovely. A heartwarming story of friendship and belonging.
January 23, 2025
I didn’t like it
March 2, 2025
⭐️ 5 ⭐️
April 20, 2025
Many different storylines within this book with multiple aspects for thought/discussion/reflection. I appreciated the challenging vocabulary to help readers advance.
August 17, 2025
A wonderful read that had me tearing up a few times.
October 16, 2025
4.5 stars
January 1, 2026
Enjoyed the story but struggled with the dialogue written in local dialect at points
January 12, 2026
Another read for a work project. A really lovely story about friendship in unlikely places.
April 4, 2025
A gorgeous story, sweet and sad with a fiercely loveable and exasperatingly reckless little main character.
October 25, 2024
I absolutely LOVED ‘Birdie’ by J. P. Rose. What a brilliant, impactful read in its 231 pages. This book is going to be read in schools up and down the country and for good reason. At its heart is a great story of unconditional love, and the power of love to combat hate. We also get an examination of the nature of British society (set in the past but makes us reflect on the present) and a social history of the north of England, which evokes life in a pit community in detail.
Anyway, I defy anyone not to be completely in love with Birdie Bagshaw by the time she steps off the train in Barrington Dale on page 10!
Born out of wedlock, to a white British mother and African American father, Birdie had a difficult start to life. The Britain she was born into was still very Victorian in its morality and, also, racist. Birdie’s mother would have been under intense pressure, and so abandoned her child, who then spent her formative years in Fitzwilliam’s Children’s Home in Leeds. Her upbringing there was full of love thanks to the warm Mrs Dudley and her husband, and Birdie was sheltered from much of the bigotry she later encounters.
Birdie’s arrival at her great aunt Mabel’s house is reminiscent of when Anne Shirley first rocks up to the Cuthbert house. Marilla, expecting a boy to help with farm work, is greeted by the gawky, bright haired and motor-mouthed Anne. Great Aunt Mabel is shocked when a little black girl turns up at her door and her initial behaviour toward the young girl will be a source of her shame later in the novel.
Our delayed introduction to Uncle Walter allows a period to elapse in which it appears Birdie will be desolate and rejected by everyone in the Dales village she now calls home. When he appears on scene, his warmth fills the stage, and he instantly takes to the child and adds an injection of hope. Sadly, for every Uncle Walter, there are many cruel, ignorant people in Barrington Dale. There are others who have simply not encountered any amount of diversity and, taking the child on face value, find themselves allied with Birdie.
What could be the perfect tonic to all the resentment, cruelty and bigotry encountered by Birdie? The purest form of unconditional love possible? Pursued by bullies into the dark depths of a mine, Birdie happens upon a little pit pony in the darkness. Birdie’s awful day is suddenly forgotten as the huge-hearted girl finds a friend and a cause. This loveable duo of underdogs had my whole heart.
Birdie encounters racism in many forms throughout the novel. It’s notable that it takes an act of extreme valour for Birdie to change some of the most bigoted minds- and in this case, it still feels more like they see her as some kind of exception. I think this book will fuel many useful discussions in classrooms.
Anyway, I defy anyone not to be completely in love with Birdie Bagshaw by the time she steps off the train in Barrington Dale on page 10!
Born out of wedlock, to a white British mother and African American father, Birdie had a difficult start to life. The Britain she was born into was still very Victorian in its morality and, also, racist. Birdie’s mother would have been under intense pressure, and so abandoned her child, who then spent her formative years in Fitzwilliam’s Children’s Home in Leeds. Her upbringing there was full of love thanks to the warm Mrs Dudley and her husband, and Birdie was sheltered from much of the bigotry she later encounters.
Birdie’s arrival at her great aunt Mabel’s house is reminiscent of when Anne Shirley first rocks up to the Cuthbert house. Marilla, expecting a boy to help with farm work, is greeted by the gawky, bright haired and motor-mouthed Anne. Great Aunt Mabel is shocked when a little black girl turns up at her door and her initial behaviour toward the young girl will be a source of her shame later in the novel.
Our delayed introduction to Uncle Walter allows a period to elapse in which it appears Birdie will be desolate and rejected by everyone in the Dales village she now calls home. When he appears on scene, his warmth fills the stage, and he instantly takes to the child and adds an injection of hope. Sadly, for every Uncle Walter, there are many cruel, ignorant people in Barrington Dale. There are others who have simply not encountered any amount of diversity and, taking the child on face value, find themselves allied with Birdie.
What could be the perfect tonic to all the resentment, cruelty and bigotry encountered by Birdie? The purest form of unconditional love possible? Pursued by bullies into the dark depths of a mine, Birdie happens upon a little pit pony in the darkness. Birdie’s awful day is suddenly forgotten as the huge-hearted girl finds a friend and a cause. This loveable duo of underdogs had my whole heart.
Birdie encounters racism in many forms throughout the novel. It’s notable that it takes an act of extreme valour for Birdie to change some of the most bigoted minds- and in this case, it still feels more like they see her as some kind of exception. I think this book will fuel many useful discussions in classrooms.
December 21, 2024
Just brilliant. I couldn't put Birdie down. I was completely invested in her, Mr Duke, and all the other characters. Loved the historical note at the back, too, and J.P. Rose's own story.
October 18, 2024
I really enjoyed this and the social history aspectsofthestory
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