The King of the Birds: Beyond the Stars
A captivating short story taken from the collection, BEYOND THE STARS, written and illustrated by two great Irish talents in children’s fiction todayOn the day of the Winter Solstice, all the birds of Ireland assemble before the wise old Barn Owl to choose their ruler by a trial of flight. When Iolar the Golden Eagle, the largest and most powerful bird there, is challenged to the title by the tiny and mysterious Dreolin the Wren, his feathers aren’t ruffled: he thinks he deserves to win. But perhaps his confidence is misplaced, for having courage, heart and the respect of your peers are just as important as strength and endurance…An uplifting tale of the triumph of ingenuity over strength, whose memorable characters are brought to life by evocative artwork.Look out for the other eleven stories - also available as e-shorts!
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The Star Dogs by Roddy Doyle, illustrated by Steve Simpson
The Hero of Drumree by Derek Landy, illustrated by Alan Clarke
The Brockets Get a Dog by John Boyne, illustrated by Paul Howard
How to Help Your Grandda by Judi Curtin, illustrated by Chris Judge
The Lookout by Eoin Colfer, illustrated by Marie-Louise Fitzpatrick
The Snow Globe by Marita Conlon-McKenna, illustrated by P J Lynch
The Battle of the Ice Queen by Gordon Snell, illustrated by Michael Emberley
The Last Cat by Celine Kiernan, illustrated by Tatyana Feeney
Across the Cold Ground written and illustrated by Oisín McGann
Ice Fairies by Siobhán Parkinson, illustrated by Olwyn Whelan
Discovering Bravery by Emma Brade, illustrated by Niamh Sharkey
The King of the Birds
Michael Scott
Illustrated by Chris Haughton
First published in Great Britain and Ireland by HarperCollins Children’s Books and Fighting Words Ltd. as a story in Beyond the Stars: Twelve Tales of Adventure, Magic and Wonder
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‘The King of the Birds’ text © Michael Scott 2014, illustrations © Chris Haughton 2014
Cover design © HarperCollins Children’s Books, cover image © Shutterstock
Michael Scott and Chris Haughton assert the moral right to be identified as the author and illustrator of this work.
All rights reserved under International and Pan-American Copyright Conventions. By payment of the required fees, you have been granted the non-exclusive, non-transferable right to access and read the text of this ebook onscreen. No part of this text may be reproduced, transmitted, downloaded, decompiled, reverse engineered, or stored in or introduced into any information storage and retrieval system, in any form or by any means, whether electronic or mechanical, now known or hereinafter invented, without the express written permission of HarperCollins ebooks and Fighting Words.
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Source ISBN: 9780007578467
Ebook Edition © 2014 ISBN: 9780008103385
Version: 2014-09-15
CONTENTS
Beyond the Stars is unique.
Why did twenty-three stellar children’s writers and illustrators band together to show their love and support for Fighting Words, a creative writing centre in the heart of Dublin city?
That’s easy. Because, like this book, Fighting Words is unique. As Roddy Doyle, the centre’s co-founder, says, “It’s a big bright room. In an area that needs a big bright room. In a climate that needs a big bright room.”
Fighting Words is a remarkable place that provides free tutoring in creative writing to all ages, but most especially to children and teenagers. It gives young writers a voice and helps them to reach their creative potential. And above all, it’s fun.
In January 2009 I volunteered at Fighting Words’ very first Primary School Workshop. The room was so full of creativity, joy and optimism I thought my heart would burst. With the help of a storyteller, an illustrator and a team of volunteers, each of the children involved wrote their own book. On the back of each book (every young writer was given their own copy to take home – complete with wonderful full-colour illustrations) was a photograph of the child’s smiling face and a blank box for them to add their very own writer’s biography. Leaving the centre, their faces shone with happiness.
Since that first workshop, I have volunteered at Fighting Words whenever I can. I have always left that big bright room inspired, uplifted and with a joyful heart. This book is my thank you to the centre, for creating a haven of the imagination – my love letter to Fighting Words if you like. I hope they will allow me to continue to be a small part of the magic for many years to come. A huge thank you must also go to Roddy Doyle and Sean Love for their help with this book.
Beyond the Stars would not exist without the superstar writers and illustrators behind this collection – all of whom said yes to contributing without hesitation. Yes, Chris Haughton, it was a little like “herding cats” at times, but very cool and lovely cats! Thanks to the team: Roddy Doyle and Steve Simpson; Derek Landy and Alan Clarke; John Boyne and Paul Howard; Judi Curtin and Chris Judge; Eoin Colfer and Marie-Louise Fitzpatrick; Marita Conlon-McKenna and P. J. Lynch; Michael Scott and Chris Haughton; Gordon Snell and Michael Emberley; Celine Kiernan and Tatyana Feeney; Oisín McGann; Siobhán Parkinson and Olwyn Whelan; and finally, Niamh Sharkey, who illustrated our competition-winner Emma Brade’s story. Mammoth thanks also to Ruth Alltimes, Mary Byrne and their supernova team at HarperCollins Children’s Books for their hard work and support of what is a highly unusual project. And to my wonderful agent, Philippa Milnes-Smith, for her hand-holding and enthusiasm for the book.
