‘Lyrical, poignant and insightful’ MARGARET ATWOOD (on Twitter)
‘Filled with hope and energy’ Guardian

In her memoir, Mya-Rose Craig and her family travel the world in search of rare birds and astonishing landscapes. But a shadow moves with them, too – her mother’s deepening mental health crisis. In the face of this struggle, the Craigs turn to nature again and again, and every time it offers joy and stillness.

On these journeys, Mya-Rose also witnesses the inequality and destruction we are inflicting on our fragile planet. And so, through the simple, mindful act of looking for birds, she becomes ever more determined to campaign for all our survival.

‘A delightful account of a young life devoted to birding – and the fight to save birds and the places they live’ Stephen Moss

* Winner of a Somerset Maugham Award *
* Longlisted for the Wainwright Prize for Conservation Writing *
* Longlisted for the Jhalak Prize *

Look around you. Whether you live in a city or the countryside, whether you’re standing in a field or peering out of a window. If you wait a few minutes the chances are that you’ll see a bird. But did you know that many of these creatures go on epic adventures every single year?

Flight is the story of seven of these amazing birds and their incredible journeys around the globe. You’ll meet the arctic tern, which covers the distance from the Earth to the Moon and back three times in its lifetime. And the humble swallow, whose epic migration takes it through Europe, across the Sahara Desert and all the way to the tip of South Africa. Along the way, you’ll discover history and folklore from around the world that reveal the special relationship between humans and birds.

With Lynn Scurfield’s beautiful full-colour original artwork on every page, this is the perfect gift for nature-lovers everywhere.

Meet Mya-Rose – otherwise known as ‘Birdgirl’. Birder, environmentalist, diversity activist. To date she has seen over five thousand different types of bird: half the world’s species.

Every single bird a treasure. Each sighting a small step in her family journey – a collective moment of joy and stillness. And each helping her to find her voice.

Since she was young, she has visited every continent to pursue her passion, seeing first-hand the inequality and reckless destruction we are inflicting on our fragile planet. And the simple, mindful act of looking for birds has made her ever-more determined to campaign for all our survival.

This is her story; a journey defined by her love for these extraordinary creatures. Because large or small, brown, patterned or jewelled, there is something about birds that makes us, even for just moments at a time, lift our eyes away from our lives and up to the skies.

Birdgirl is the perfect read for fans of H is for Hawk, Diary of a Young Naturalist, and any young or aspiring environmentalists.