In the Marvellous Birds anthology you’ll find stories written in term-long programs by Year Six students from Blaxcell St Public, Dawson Public, Plumpton Public and Punchbowl Public. The stories explore themes such as community, friendship, migration and the challenge of new adventures – all through the eyes of the marvellous, mysterious (and occasionally menacing!) birdlife of the world. Murmuration, talon, fledgling, migration. Even the language of birds is exciting. So exciting we decided to invite students to write stories filled with avian characters and adventures. The young authors in this collection exceeded all our expectations, creating stories with characters that are rich, genuine and compelling. There is so much in this collection that shows the unique and unusual way stories come into existence; the writing in many of the stories combines the real, lived experience of young people in the western suburbs of Sydney with the vivid, imagined worlds that fill our heads. The combination of life and fiction in these stories makes them utterly unique; writing that could only have been created by these young people, in this particular place, at this particular time. As you delve into these stories expect humour, excitement, adventure, friendship and feathers of all kinds. Enjoy!
