The Bird Within Me written and illustrated by Sara Lundberg, translated by BJ Epstein, is an exquisitely told story about following your dreams. About finding that fire in your belly, that determination and self-belief. Always.
Based on the paintings, letters and diaries of the Swedish artist Berta Hansson, Lundberg has created a heartfelt story. She shows us Berta as she grows up, surrounded by family expectations that constrain what’s really in her heart – the desire to be an artist.
“My body tingles.
I want to draw.”
With exquisite language, Lundberg sensitively captures 12 year-old Berta’s struggle as she discovers her own sense of self and belonging surrounded by a family that would rather she stayed working on the farm and fulfill their expectations of what it means to be female, on a traditional farm in a small village in northern Sweden.
From the blue skies of the endpapers to that spread with Berta at the big gully, Lundberg’s artwork is full of big emotions.
The Bird Within Me is not to be missed, stunning!
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