Museum Publishes ‘Dodo Who’ children’s book
27 April 2011
Dodo Who? by Marianne Birkby.
Published by Kendal Museum Publishing.
Last year, artist Marianne Birkby was commissioned by Kendal Museum to illustrate and write a children's book based on the museum's very own visiting 'Dodo'. Sponsored by Renaissance North West the book is part of a project at the museum based around the Dodo and exploring species extinction. While the book is aimed at first readers, people of all ages can enjoy the quirky images and the iconic message. The images have been created in Derwent Inktense pencils, children's wax crayons and sepia india ink. While the story has been specially designed to appeal to first readers, the book has been seriously researched with visits to the Natural History Museum in London for scientific information. Dr Helen Wallace, Executive Director of GeneWatch UK has described 'Dodo Who?' as: "A beautiful book, and a timely reminder that we are part of an intricate web of life that we should defend and cherish".
The dodo's story is particularly poignant and is an excellent way to illustrate the unintended consequences of human activity. No one intended for the dodo to become extinct. The habitat the dodo was perfectly adapted to thrive in was irreversibly altered with the introduction of non native species such as rats, goats and pigs. These animals destroyed the one and only egg the dodo laid on the ground and what with being hunted as well the bird could not replenish itself fast enough to prevent extinction.
Marianne said: "Having spent many hours painting and sketching the museum's dodo I feel as though I know her quite well. The Kendal Museum dodo is an authentic representation of the original dodo and was made by taxidermist Carl Church. Only a beak and claw of the original dodo remains
- and they are at the Natural History Museum in London. I visited the London Natural History Museum to ask scientists there about the dodo's diet and no one is quite sure but they are thought to have eaten fish as well as fruit and seed".
The aim of the book is to provide an inspiration tool for young children to learn about extinction and how everything is connected, sometimes in ways that we don't immediately see - the dodos are thought to have helped germination of the tambalacocque tree
Extract from the book:
"...they had big hooked beaks for catching fish and for eating fruit, they spread seed from the fruit and from the seed new trees grew.
Then tall ships arrived, they were carrying sailors and new animals to the islands. The new animals ate the birds' eggs.
The sailors called the birds 'dodo' which means foolish. They thought the dodos were silly because they could not fly and did not want to run away."
The book, priced £5, is available from Kendal Museum as well as Henry Roberts Bookshop in Kendal.