Clara and the Birds

Clara and her love for birds leads her to try her best to reach them somehow and be able to be friends, a behavior which is unlike what she does with real children where, being too shy to interact, she finds herself on the outside. Birds feel safe to Clara, and she seeks them out, along with the safety she feels in being in her favorite forest where she finds things to discover and can use her imagination to play there. Late one night, Clara finds herself awake, deep in thought and wishing she could also play with actual friends, eventually falling into a dream where she is trapped in an eggshell, lonely and afraid. “People say birds are shy. They say that about me too. But you’re not shy around me and I’m not shy around you.”

One day Clara finds an injured bird and connects to it by helping it escape from some string around its legs, and she can feel the same emotions of being trapped and afraid and alone, just like in her dream. Clara spends some time gently holding the little bird, but eventually she lets the bird go to fly free back to its friends. It is then that she comes to the realization and the hope that she, too, can be brave and, while still feeling shy sometimes, can play with friends and not feel so alone. Like the birds.

Clara and the Birds is a sweet tale that children (and adults) of all ages will be able to relate to. At some point, we have all felt shy, awkward, worried, and anxious, and so many of us will connect with little Clara. The illustrations are beautiful and help to move the story along while including the gift of hidden background characters for readers to find. I highly recommend this book as a jumping off point to talk to young children about feelings of not fitting in and even how to make new friends. Being kind to nature is also woven throughout the narrative.