Today is National Pet Bird Day so what better day to share the cover for the upcoming picture book, Star: The Bird Who Inspired Mozart?
Tundra is very excited to be publishing this new picture book biography by Mireille Messier (Sergeant Billy) and illustrated by Matte Stephens on October 11, 2022! Get to know the starling who helped a young Mozart compose some of his most famous works.
Cover Design: Sophie Paas-Lang
Star: The Bird Who Inspired Mozart
By Mireille Messier
Illustrated by Matte Stephens
36 Pages | Ages 4-8 | Hardcover
ISBN 9780735266896 | Tundra Books
Release Date: October 11, 2022
Star: The Bird Who Inspired Mozart is based on the true story of how Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, one of the world’s most remarkable musicians, was inspired by one of the world’s most unremarkable birds: a starling. In this charming picture book, author Mireille Messier tells the story of a very special relationship and how it began: with a chance musical encounter. And Matte Stephens’s playful art captures both the grandeur of 18th century Vienna and the budding unlikely friendship between a famous musician and a humble starling.
Also by Mireille Messier:
Sergeant Billy: The True Story of the Goat Who Went to War
By Mireille Messier
Illustrated by Kass Reich
40 Pages | Ages 4-8 | Hardcover
ISBN 9780735264427 | Tundra Books
During World War I, a goat named Billy was adopted by a platoon of soldiers and made his way across the ocean to be part of the war effort.
Billy . . .
• Trained with the soldiers
• Was smuggled across the ocean
• Got snuck into the frontlines in a box of oranges
• Ate some secret documents and was arrested for treason
• Got trench foot
• Head-butted soldiers into a trench and saved them from a shell
• Came back home a decorated war hero
This charming true story follows Sergeant Billy from his small prairie town to the trenches of World War I and back, through harrowing moments, sad moments, moments of camaraderie and moments of celebration. This unforgettable goat and the platoon that loved him will capture your heart!