About
Annabel Marriott’s fun and bright picture book, with illustrations by Ruth Coggins, will inspire children to explore wildlife and nature.
Have you ever wondered what the birds around us get up to when we aren’t watching?
A juggling heron, a racing driver robin and a wagtail who rockets into space are just some of the Super Birds you will encounter in this picture book for very young children.
The text is accompanied by highly original and imaginative illustrations by professional cartoonist and animator Ruth Coggins.
Annabel Marriot - Writer
Annabel Marriott has always loved wildlife, particularly birds, and is fascinated by their various personalities and habits. It was while Annabel was walking her dogs through Ravenscourt Park in London, listening to the birds, and wondering what they get up to when we can’t see them, that the idea for Super Birds! was born. Annabel lives in Eastbourne, East Sussex. Annabel says, “My background is in teaching and I wanted to explore the possibility of relating Super Birds! to the young children who were reading it or being read to. It’s easy to assume we know somebody until they do something ‘unexpected’ and then we think ‘wow! I never knew you could do that!’ I wanted the adults reading it to get enjoyment from it too and the illustrations are a huge part of that. It’s vital that the younger generation realise the importance of wildlife and how to care for it and that it’s not too hard to do. I hope this provides a valuable starting point.”
Ruth Coggins - Illustrator
Growing up on a rich diet of 1980's animation, comics and an obsession with movement in early film resulted in Ruth spending many an hour as a child whiling away the days creating cartoon characters and tinkering around with old cameras to create crude stop-motion animations and it's something she has continued ever since.
"To be chosen as the illustrator for Super Birds! was a dream job and I can't wait to share my illustrations accompanying these fun verses with children", says Ruth. "I think it's important to get children interested in the natural world around them, especially in terms of the environment and their general wellbeing... I hope this book encourages youngsters to get out-and-about and discover amazing things as well as breeding a new generation of 'Twitchers'!"