- Judith Kerr, Illustrated by Judith Kerr

Birdie Halleluyah!

By Judith Kerr, Illustrated by Judith Kerr

‘His real name’s a secret, but I call him… Birdie Halleluyah!’

Every child likes to imagine that they have an invisible friend and the little boy in this book is no exception. With his guardian angel to watch over him, he feels safe whether he’s crossing a busy road, or it’s dark late at night. Even if it seems that his mind is not always on the job, Birdie Halleluyah is always there when it matters.

This charming story of a boy and his secret friend will be recognised and loved by any child who takes comfort in the thought of someone special watching out for them.

Author: Judith Kerr
Format: Paperback
Ageband: to 5
Release Date: 01 Nov 1999
Pages: 32
ISBN: 978-0-00-664689-1
Judith Kerr OBE was born in Berlin. Her family left Germany in 1933 to escape the rising Nazi party, and came to England. She studied at the Central School of Art and later worked as a scriptwriter for the BBC. Judith married the celebrated screenwriter Nigel Kneale in 1954. She left the BBC to look after their two children, who inspired her first picture book, The Tiger Who Came to Tea. Published in 1968 and never out of print in the fifty years since, it has become a much-loved classic and perennial bestseller. Judith was awarded the Booktrust Lifetime Achievement Award in 2016, and in 2019 was named Illustrator of the Year at the British Book Awards. Judith died in May 2019 at the age of 95, and her stories continue to entertain and delight generations of children.

The artwork is beautiful, achieved with such modest means: pencils, crayons, sepia ink, and finest liquid gold pen line. The image of the guardian angel is one of ethereal solidity: immense hands and feet, skin pale as marble, seraphic smile, long fair hair. In Birdie Halleluyah the words provide a simple framework upon which the story grows through the images. (TES - 30/10/98) -