I worked on a book for 30 years

Professor, the last book I came across similar to this is A. J Carpenter’s West African Nature Study published in 1960. What inspired you to write a book on birds? Growing up in the United States, I was introduced to birds by my parents, who were lifelong bird watchers; and after moving to Nigeria, I […]

Professor, the last book I came across similar to this is A. J Carpenter’s West African Nature Study published in 1960. What inspired you to write a book on birds?

Growing up in the United States, I was introduced to birds by my parents, who were lifelong bird watchers; and after moving to Nigeria, I was fascinated by the many new and amazing birds I saw here.  I observed them, especially on my morning walks, and then tried to describe and sketch them in my notebook.  Afterwards, I would try to identify the species using two guidebooks I bought and others I located in the University Library.

I wanted to share this fascination with birds with my children but could find no children’s books on Nigerian or West African birds.  (The bookshop carried only guides to British birds.)  So I endeavoured to write such a book, first for my own children and then for other children.

And what has been your children’s response to the book?

Very positive, both my children and other children like those in local primary schools where I’ve conducted projects on birds.  Also, parents and teachers, many of whom have used it with their children and classes.  I remember an OMEP (Early Childhood Education) workshop in the 1980s, soon after the first edition was published, where so many participants wanted multiple copies to take back to their schools—sadly, it was already out of print.

You have been very interested in children literature over the years, is that why your principal target for this book are the young ones?

Yes.  As a librarian and educator specializing in children’s literature and library services, I am aware of the importance of nurturing a sense of wonder and spirit of inquiry in young children and encouraging their curiosity and appreciation of the natural environment.  The nursery and primary school years are crucial for developing reading habits and skills as well and introducing children to the world of knowledge.  Yet there are very few Nigerian books for this age group, especially picture books and nonfiction literature.  I love picture books, including those that focus on communicating knowledge rather than telling a story.  I also find writing for the young ones more interesting.  My resolve was strengthened by those who tried to reorient me to secondary school students, as a more advanced and therefore more important level.  I find the devaluation of younger children and their education unfortunate and am committed to work for change in this area.

How long did it take working on this book?

A long time, working very gradually.  The first edition of Birds of Our Land was published by Fourth Dimension Publishers in 1986, but research for the book began in 1978 when I started keeping my observation sketchbooks.  After submitting the manuscript in the early 80s, I spent another year collaborating with my artist, Robin Gowen, on the illustrations.  The new expanded edition published by Cassava Republic in 2011 spanned about two years; it has seven new birds, an expanded section of activities at the end, and all new illustrations, also by Robin.  It took a year or two to liaise with the artist and publisher (Bibi) in getting everything just right.

That is a really, really long time. What kept you motivated on this task for over 30 years?

It was a labour of love, and an avocation.  I had my full-time job as a library educator and administrator all this time, so the book was something I did for pleasure in my spare time.  And working on the book was pure pleasure — birds are such fascinating subjects.  Of course, there was a long period between the two editions when nothing much was happening.  What kept me motivated to keep drawing attention to the book was my strong belief that this was a book Nigerian children need and would love.  There is almost nothing on the local environment, almost nothing in the way of nonfiction literature for children, books that can introduce them to the world of knowledge in a pleasurable way.  So I felt this book was a small contribution to filling that very large gap.

What sort of research did you have to do?

I appreciate the recognition that information books for children, including very young children, require considerable research. Mine could be described as a combination of fieldwork and library research.  That is, I observed birds in the field and recorded my observations in a series of notebooks; then I consulted adult guidebooks to identify the species and supplement and confirm my observations.  I also consulted sites on the Internet for some species in the new edition.

In the years between the two editions, I used the book in working with primary school children in Nsukka.  We carried out a project using local resources to develop information literacy skills (reported by Dike and Amucheazi at the 2003 International Association of School Librarianship (IASL) conference in Durban, South Africa.)  This led to development of the observation checklist in the activities section and identification of Igbo names of some birds.

The artist, Robin Gowen, did her own research.  During the preparation of the first edition, she was here in Nsukka and so could observe the birds directly.  But by the time of the revised edition, she was living in faraway California.  She consulted a number of guidebooks (including the classic multi-volume Bannerman), numerous photographs on the Internet, an ornithologist, and a museum collection of samples.   She also asked me questions (like, whether the entrance to a weaver’s nest is on the side or bottom.) and requested photos of local vegetation for help in creating the background.  To indicate the seriousness of the research, she re-did a painting when she discovered one toe of a bird was on the wrong side.

What was the most thrilling experience you had while working on this book?

One day my husband and I were sitting on our front porch when he pointed out the most amazing bird in our garden.  It was a Didric Cuckoo (eventually a pair), which I had never seen before, even in pictures.  To me it was like a magic creature from fairyland—bright green and white, with bronze highlights and a red eye. Then its call came—so haunting.  I had many memorable experiences but I think that was the most thrilling.

And what eventually became of them, these cuckoos?

They flew away.  But after identifying them and learning to recognize their call, I became aware of their frequent presence in the vicinity, but usually high at the top of a tall tree.

I have another more dramatic bird story.  A pair of Splendid Sunbirds were nesting in our Mango tree when a neighbourhood boy shot the nest down with his slingshot.  There was a baby bird inside.  I tried to put the nest and baby back in the tree but not being a bird that knows how to attach it well, the nest fell again.  Finally I just stuck it in the hedge, fearing the baby was a goner anyway. After all, I’d been taught that a mother bird will never attend to a baby who has been touched by humans.  But lo and behold, to my utmost amazement, the parents located their baby and continued to feed it.  That baby grew to adulthood and flew off with them one day.

That’s amazing, really. An interesting feature of the book is that the names of the birds are given in all three major Nigerian languages. Why did you think that was important?

This is another new feature of the revised edition.  I think it’s important for children to learn that living beings in their environment (birds and other animals, trees and flowers) have names, because it gives them higher value.  In addition, we found in working with children that the English names were completely unfamiliar but they immediately recognized the common birds by their Igbo names.

I speak Hausa and I noticed that some of the names given in that language are rather vague (e.g page 15 where the thrush is named as “wani irin tsunsu” which simply translates as “a kind of bird” or page 5 where the cuckoo is named “Tsuntsu” which means “bird”) Obviiously these were not deliberate. Is there anything you are doing to correct these?

Finding the names in the three Nigerian languages was a real problem.  One of the old guidebooks had a useful list, most probably compiled by foreigners years ago, with the names of a few birds in a number of West African languages.  My best source was for Yoruba, a lecturer in linguistics with a real interest in birds, who also called his father for additional information.   I located some of the Hausa names in a Hausa-English dictionary and a children’s picture book identifying common objects in Hausa.  My inquiries from several Hausa and Igbo colleagues resulted in names for only a few very common ones.  Both suggested one would have to consult elders in the villages for more information and that the names would likely change with the locality.  Igbo speakers felt some species had no Igbo name or that a number of similar birds, small birds for instance, would all be called by the same name.  Regional differences and several birds sharing one name were difficulties also discovered from the schoolchildren and their teachers. This may be part of the explanation for the errors you noticed.

I very much welcome any corrections or additional information readers can give, for instance the correct names of the birds you found were misnamed or names for those missing altogether, and these would definitely be reflected in future printings.

You also have some wonderful tips on how readers can attract birds to their compound. How many birds is one likely to find in your compound on a good day?

I would say about ten species on a good day.  There are some almost constant residents and then occasional visitors.  Most days we have Crows, Thrushes, Bulbuls, Sunbirds, Doves, Coucals.  Also common are several species of Weavers, Hornbills, Sparrows, and varieties of Finches, Kites in the dry season, Swallows, Pigmy and other Kingfishers, Broad-billed Rollers and other seasonal visitors. Then there are those like the Didric Cuckoo and Green Fruit Pigeon that show up only once in a while.

That is quite a number.  Of course that is on a very good day!  But there are at least 5 species on any day.

Was there a particular experience that made you fall in love with birds?

The one I remember is when I was about ten years old and was walking in the woods with my family.  Suddenly I came upon the most beautiful bird I had ever seen—bright, bright red with black wings.  It was a Scarlet Tanager.  I had spotted it first so it somehow became my bird.

Do you remember what happened to the bird, did you adopt it as a pet?

No, I only meant my family let me feel it was special to me in some way.  It was a wild bird that flew away, as all these are.  I enjoy birds more in the wild.  I did have a pet parakeet briefly as a child but I’m not drawn to that now.  The trade in pet birds has led to the endangered status of birds like the African Grey Parrot, which one could regularly find on sale in the late 70s when we first moved to Nigeria.

Apart from birds, what other creatures fascinate you?

So many animals!  Some favourites are cats, big wild ones and small domestic ones, giraffes and antelope, squirrels, polar bears and seals swimming, butterflies.  These are just a few that come to mind.

Why do you think there is a dearth of books on nature and birds written for Nigerian readers?

First, there is lack of awareness of the need for nonfiction literature, or even that there is such a thing—a book is either a textbook or fiction, a story.  That children also need books that excite them about knowledge and enlarge their understanding of the world is not recognized.  Secondly, nature seems not to be much valued by many—they regard nature as bush better to be filled with buildings, or something a bit ominous to be avoided.  Nature is there to be exploited.  Much work remains to be done in environmental education, though these days our relatedness to and interdependence with the environment and its inhabitants is beginning to be recognized.  Hopefully, this new awareness will lead to more emphasis on learning about the birds and other animals around us (as well as in other parts of the world), the trees, plants, natural features and other phenomena that make up our environment, and this will lead to more children’s books on nature.

How difficult or easy was it to find a publisher for this book, which is not quite what seems to interest most publishers here?

I have been very fortunate with this revised edition in finding a publisher who shares my vision.  Bibi Bakare-Yusuf and I met at a seminar at the Spanish Embassy and she immediately expressed interest in re-publishing my bird book.  She too saw the need for nonfiction literature and had plans for bringing out a nature series for children.  Birds of Our Land is to be followed by books on trees, flowers, the seasons, and other types of animals.

When I submitted the manuscript for the first edition to Fourth Dimension, they were developing a series of picture books; with 12 titles I believe it’s the most extensive yet in Nigeria.  They also had a very knowledgeable children’s editor, my late friend Judith Osuala, who understood the need for such books.  I solved one problem for them by locating an artist capable of doing the work.  She was a young American landscape artist who had grown up in Nigeria and shared my interest in birds; at the time she was spending a year after completing university with her parents, who were lecturers at the University of Nigeria.

However, there were fears the book would not sell since it was not like a textbook.  Very few copies were printed and the book soon went out of print, even though it was in high demand.  There were various moves for the years to bring the book out again, but the cost of re-doing the full colour illustrations proved an insurmountable obstacle to the publisher.  Other publishers expressed interest over the years but nothing materialized until I met Bibi of Cassava Republic.

And has the response to this edition been any different from what it was all those years ago?

It is too soon to say, as the new edition is just coming out.  But the response of editors and critics who have seen it so far is very enthusiastic and I am confident that of children and the general public will be so as well.

The new edition has all new illustrations.  Robin Gowen, the artist, insisted on this because she felt the earlier ones represented the beginnings of her artistic development and she could now create something better.  I and others loved the original illustrations, but after seeing those in the new edition I have to agree that these are on an even higher level.  They are beautiful!  The new activities section is also an added value to the new edition, and there are seven amazing new birds I’m particularly excited about, including the Didric Cuckoo.