The Photo that Sent Songbirds Around the World Aflight

There are people who put the Energizer Bunny to shame.    Do you know the type?  The ones who have more energy than God, who throw the whole of their creative being, heart and soul, into everything that they do, so that as they pass through their room they almost seem to manifest their own light and create their own wind?

The dentist known as Dr. "Pickles" is one of these people . . . a force of nature.  Good-will-good-nature.  I’m not so secretly in awe of the way she maintains a successful dental practice, remains uber-connected in her community, and extraordinarily involved in her child’s school as a room mom, scout leader, and all-star volunteer . . . all without having to be occasionally scraped off the floor or pried out of an involuntary fetal position. 

Anyway, in late April, I received a phone call from her about Kwaku.  She wanted to tell me how much she enjoyed the book as a parent, and as someone concerned with the phenomenon of bullying in schools.  “The story is fantastic,” she later wrote in an email, “the illustrations are jaw-dropping.  I understand that writing a book is a labor of love … But that book is a book that makes a difference in the world — my daughter and I have talked about it for two days now.  I’d like to buy some copies.”

Buy she did.  She bought 35 of them.  One book for every child in the first grade classes at her daughter’s school, and then some to pass on to others — her own master hairstylist, several family members and friends. 

At Songbird’s inception back in 2010, I envisioned a give back program entitled Songbirds Around the World.  Through it families and classes who have purchased and enjoyed a Songbird title can send us a photo of themselves reading the book together, along with the name of a library they would like a copy donated to.  Songbird will choose one photo a month, and donate a copy of the book to the specified library.  . . up to 12 books a year.   



The First Graders:
June 2011 Songbirds Around the World Photo



This delightful picture, taken after Dr. Pickles distributed the books she had given to the first grade, was not sent to me as part of the Songbirds Around the World program, but simply given to me. Nevertheless, I can’t think of a better way of inaugurating this program than by honoring Dr. Pickles's extraordinary measure to get Kwaku into the hands of young readers, and by choosing this fantastic photo that captures it.

At her behest, the first Songbirds Around the World book will be donated to Joplin Public Library in Joplin, MO this week. 

In the words you once offered to me, Dr. Pickles, thank you for doing good in the world.  And raising a lovely child on top of that.  The wonderful photo that documents your gift of literacy has enabled Songbird to fly a little further afield, into more children’s libraries, hands and hearts.