Pigeon power! Author hopes tale of outcast birds can teach kids tolerance
In crow-loving Vancouver, pigeons don't get the respect they deserve.
That's according to a journalist and author who wants to boost the urban bird's reputation this Family Day week, and show how their treatment ties in to wider themes of marginalization.
"[Birds] are integrated into our city life, they are part of our visual tapestry," Sarah Hampson told Stephen Quinn, host of CBC's The Early Edition.
"But there are species we like more than others. Bluebirds are supposed to be harbingers of happiness and robins signal the beginning of spring. But then we don't like pigeons, they are sort of ne'er-do-wells."
Hampson, who is preparing for the Vancouver launch of her children's book Dr. Coo and the Pigeon Protest on Feb. 19, can draw from local news stories to prove her point.
Vancouverites revere Canuck the Crow, but pigeons are often regarded as a nuisance.
Earlier this month, a pigeon poop problem at SkyTrain stations led TransLink and the B.C. SPCA to begin feeding birth control to the birds in order to control the population.
Respect pigeons, respect others
Historically, pigeons have played many roles in society, from sacred animals to useful messengers
But Hampson says the modern world has largely rejected the birds.
In her book, the urban pigeons in her book act as a metaphor for marginalization. After years of bad treatment by humans, the pigeons go on strike and leave the city in search of the respect they deserve.
Hampson has read the story to children across Canada and says kids pick up on the nuance of the message very quickly.
'They respond because there's a lot of bullying in the school yard … this book is just promoting the message that everyone has their own story and sometime those stories are hidden."
Birds bring family together
Hampson herself is celebrating a very special Family Day this year.
She recently returned to work at the Globe and Mail after more than a year of leave battling breast cancer.
She says writing this book has given her time to reflect the need to surround herself with family and friends as much as possible.
"A happy community is one in which there's a lot of tolerance and acceptance and inclusiveness."
Hampson will give a public reading of Dr. Coo and The Pigeon Protest at 6:30 p.m. on Tuesday, Feb.19, at Book Warehouse on Main Street.
