Title: The Melody of Wendy Magpie
Author: Margaret Browne
Publisher: XlibrisAU
ISBN: 979-8-3694-9855-2
Pages: 28
Genre: Illustrated Children’s Book
Reviewer: Beth Adams

Read Book Review

Author Margaret Browne has created a wonderfully illustrated short children’s book featuring a day-in-the-life of a Magpie, in her book The Melody of Wendy Magpie.

Wendy Magpie is a beautiful black-and-white songbird living in Australia. As a highly intelligent bird, Wendy knows her two best friends, a laughing Kookaburra named King and a kind and gentle Koala called Cottee. On a typical morning Wendy would swoop down from her nest and snatch up a delicious worm from the ground for breakfast. Then, with her belly filled, she would tweet songs for all the critters of the forest to enjoy, as many would dance making for the gathering to become a magically wonderful place filled with flowers and happiness. After having a day of fun frolicking, she would then perch herself on a tree branch and watch the sun setting with the colors of the sky turning shades of orange, gazing out over the horizon with her heart full of content for having such a perfect day with friends. Singing a song for the evening, she would say goodnight to her friends and snuggle into the soft leaves and feathers of her nest high up in the eucalyptus tree, close her eyes, and drift off into dreamland.

The artful illustrations of this book make for an ideal reading experience for youngsters to follow the story catching the details embedded within each of the pictures. In particular, the picture on page 20 showing Wendy dreaming is very impactful and inspiring, viewing this illustration makes for an enjoyable time to linger and imagine what is going through the mind of Wendy Magpie as she has her eyes closed and drifts off asleep. Having this soft and gentle element in the story will make this book an ideal choice for children reading at their own bedtime, as they can drift off to sleep thinking, hearing the melody of a magpie singing in their minds, and cozy-up tucked into their own nest.

The Melody of Wendy Magpie, filled with a comforting story and imaginative illustrations of fanciful animals, makes for a perfect bedtime story for little children providing a nurturing narration, education on some of the habits of forest inhabitants, and how the beauty of a bird’s song can enhance the overall spender of the lives of friendly critters. As Wendy the Magpie wakes the next morning and the book once again begins as it did, she swoops down to catch a worm, it shows how sometimes the best days are simple and routine, safe, loving friends, and without drama. This happy pattern of good intentions is a good lesson for all to learn to live by.  The Melody of Wendy Magpie is a heartwarming tale that celebrates friendship, creativity, and the joy of finding your own unique voice.