Story Time : “Billy the Blackbird” by Jennifer Doyle

This February, the library is delighted to welcome author Jennifer Doyle, visiting from our twin town of Wigan, England. Jennifer will share a special reading of her children’s picture book, Billy the Blackbird (published in 2021).

Families are invited to enjoy an interactive story time and craft session, designed especially for children ages 4 to 8. It’s a wonderful opportunity to hear a story inspired by nature, creativity, and family moments—told by the author herself.

Free and open to the public.  By registration only.
This event was made possible thanks to support from the British Embassy.

More about Jennifer, in her own words:

“Jennifer Doyle is a mother, teacher, and nature expert from Manchester.

Like so many parents in the UK, I had the bittersweet pleasure of homeschooling my children in the Spring of 2020. I was inspired to write this story after we made a bird feeder and were eagerly observing the birds visiting it every day. While the human world was very still, the birds were continuing about their business, singing loudly and bringing us joy.

After a few days of excitedly watching the birds visiting the feeder, we spotted a baby blackbird in the corner of the garden and watched as his parents came back and forth with different types of food for him. We called him Billy and the story was born at our kitchen table, as I was desperately trying to engage my six-year-old son with his reading. My children loved the story and encouraged me to share it with you. We hope you will enjoy hearing about Billy’s adventures as much as we loved writing about him!”