“A true folk tale does not originate in being taken down by the collector of folklore, but in being told by a grandmother to her grandchildren.”
Mother Bilbee Tales
for ages 3 to 8
Mother Bilbee reimagines classic nursery rhymes and folk tales with a deeply child-friendly twist—not to replace them, but to add to the fun!
Sing a Song of Six Birds
In this first title, Sing a Song of Six Birds, Karine Makartichan’s whimsical and eye-catching illustrations depict blackbirds who “turn the tables around” on the original nursery rhyme—as they become the bakers!
Sing a song of six birds, a pocket full of rye
When blackbirds are the bakers, it’s a different kind of pie!
Welcome to early reader and bedtime stories designed not to replace older poems and tales—but to encourage young minds to think outside the usual and search for what matters most to them.
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Advance praise for Mother Bilbee Tales:
“Heart-warming! Any child would love this!”
“Intelligent and insightful.”
“Mother Bilbee Tales is a refreshing, delightful update on some of our modern bedtime lullabies that are enjoyed by both the old and the young. The tales are a rhyme of encouragement, especially when we are learning and, even later in life, deciding the next right thing to do!”
Mother Bilbee Tales: A New Series of Clever, Updated Nursery Rhymes—
with an Ethical Slant
“So much wisdom, so much virtue, and so many answers to my adult life’s big questions can be found in children’s books.”
“With her first colorful picture book for ages 3 to 8, Sing a Song of Six Birds, Mother Bilbee transforms “Sing a Song of Sixpence” into a smashing rhyme: “With the assistance of the busy blackbirds, learning core values becomes as easy as pie—and not one of the birds gets baked!”
Each new telling in this growing series promises enhanced meanings—to sit alongside the classic lines that everyone knows. Mother Bilbee spins her stories not to replace older poems and tales—but to encourage young minds to think outside the usual and search to find what matters most to them.
We’ve all read of kings and queens and cooks and birds. But what if the blackbirds themselves were to take center stage as the bakers? In Sing a Song of Six Birds, each of the blackbirds’ pies spells out a character-building trait for children to aim toward in concrete ways:
Be Truthful. Be Consistent. Be Fair. Be Kind. Be Disciplined. Be a Friend.
Finally, the banner that flies above the birds and their pies flashes a wise overall message: Be Patient.
When clever art expressing the “switch” makes the birds in their aprons the bakers and teachers, the result is learning along with fun.
Folktale animal characters are “ … types, cartoon characters from antiquity, yet they still convey vivid lessons about humanity and power for our times.” —Marina Warner.
Sing a Song of Six Birds is available in paperback and ebook on Amazon. Text by Isabel Anders; illustrations by Karine Makartichan.