Featherland, or How the Birds lived at Greenlawn, by George Manville
Fenn.
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As he explains in the last paragraph the book was written for the
amusement of two little girls who were fond of leaning up against his
knee, and asking him to tell them a story. Fenn was a very good
naturalist, and I feel sure that he enjoyed looking out at the birds on
the lawn, and seeing their reactions to one another. From this he has
gone on to add occasional snatches of English speech, to illustrate to
the girls the way the birds, and a few other animals (the dog, the cat,
the bees, a hedgehog, the flies, the wasps), were behaving in each
other's presence.
On the whole the language is easy, and suitable for young children, but
just occasionally a word slips in such as "gourmandising", which would
need explaining to a child.
I am not much in favour of books that make animals talk as though they
were little human beings, but in this book such language is used only to
the very minimum, just enough to make the animals' activities
meaningful. For the rest the birds mostly make their appointed noises.
But I did enjoy the skylark's song. And once Fenn had put in one song
it was inevitable that he would put in another, for which the bluebottle
was the "singer". NH
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FEATHERLAND; OR, HOW THE BIRDS LIVED AT GREENLAWN, BY GEORGE MANVILLE
FENN.