BOOKS & MUSIC

MEET THE AUTHOR

Faansie Peacock is a birder, illustrator, author and regular contributor to this magazine. Faansie’s Bird Book is billed (excuse the pun) as a fully fledged field guide for kids, but with 722 species featured, it’s also a wonderful resource for anyone of any age.

You started birding when you were five years old. What sparked your interest? Since I was so young when I started, I don’t remember a specific moment. My parents loved the bush and we spent a lot of time outdoors. Somewhere I got hooked. My earliest memories are of specific birds, like a black-crowned night heron at a stream in a spotlight. Where and when this happened, I can’t say, but that image has been imprinted in my brain for 32 years.

Recently, I stumbled upon a few old notebooks in a cupboard – mostly lists of bird names written in Grade 2 handwriting. When I read the lists, I become overwhelmed by a tsunami of good memories. Not necessarily specific species, but more the emotions and sensations that I experienced back then. I would always drag my parents to new