Budgie

A missing budgie inspires an unlikely friendship between a young boy and his elderly neighbour in this touching Little Gem from award-winner and Children’s Laureate Joseph Coelho.

A lost little budgie brings together a young boy and his seemingly grumpy older neighbour in this touching Little Gem from award-winner and Children’s Laureate Joseph Coelho.

Mr Buxton is always having a go at Miles and his friends for climbing the trees outside their tower block. Miles thinks he’s just a grumpy old man but when he finds a lost little budgie, Miles also discovers that he and Mr Buxton have more in common than he could ever have imagined.

Reviews

"This moving and lyrical story is pitched perfectly at young readers. It is short and accessible, yet full of empathy and compassion, with beautiful illustrations. Pippin shines brightly out of the artwork, echoing the brightness he brings to everyone’s lives." – BookTrust

"I did not expect the plot of this lovely book to go the way it did, and it was such a beautiful thing." – Lesley Parr, author

"A beautifully crafted, poetic and poignant story" – The Guardian

"A beautifully rounded story full of his hallmark humanity and love of nature." – LoveReading4Kids

“Joseph Coelho and David Barrow have created something wonderful. And ‘reluctant reader’ experts Barrington Stoke have preserved all of the soft beauty & textures of Joseph’s prose.” – Letterbox Library

"A touching tale about discovery, loss and friendship … The imagery is wonderful, perfectly illustrated by David Barrow. Joseph Coelho’s rich and poetic vocabulary allows you to almost feel the soft feathers of the budgie in your own hands. This is a well-written, very accessible story that gently looks at death, socio-economic difference, aspiration and love in all its forms." – The English Association

"Gently introduces the topics of grief and death to young readers, and shows how empathy is formed." – Peters, Recommended Year 3 Class Read

About the author

Joseph Coelho is a playwright, poet, award-winning children’s author and the Waterstones Children's Laureate for 2022-2024. Joseph’s poems have been featured in many anthologies such as Green Glass Beads by Jacqueline Wilson and his own debut poetry collection, Werewolf Club Rules, earned him the CLiPPA Poetry Award in 2015. Joseph has also written the picture book series, Luna Loves, and the middle-grade, Fairytales Gone Bad series. Most recently, his book, The Girl Who Became a Tree, was shortlisted for the 2021 CILIP Carnegie Medal.