With amazing illustrations by Matt Ottley this book was the CBCA 2021 Picture Book of the Year. Written in what McKinley describes as prose poetry it is a story of a girl who sets out to literally construct a bird. After it is built she realises that life is more than just pieces of bones and feathers but something fleeting and intangible.

A story better read to older children the activities we have created for this book are aimed at Year 5 and 6 students or even those in their first years of high school. There is a perspective activity to look at Ottley use of the sun to create shadows and build depth, an activity to draw a soaring bird, an activity to draw a single feather, a poetry activity to explore the beauty of McKinley words, a fun bird flip book and a final activity putting the book into chronological order to literally build a bird.