I love birds, they remind me of my sister Poppy.
The Wanderlore Grove, where we spent our early childhood exploring all things natural and magical, was populated with an abundance of birds.
Poppy, being a true avian maven, would wow me on a regular basis with her wide repertoire of bird song. I became even more awed when I realized that not only was she very versed in the poetry of the flock, but that she was actually carrying on full fledged conversations with her feathered friends as well.
I envied her seemingly effortless ability, and I grew determined, despite my inability to whistle a lick, to imitate her native skill.
After much tweaking, cursing and redesigning, I had my prototype whistling machine—a bird of clockwork and magic who could tweet for me instead.*
This bird wasn’t as elegant as the birds my sister adored, but then again I didn’t do elegant that well either. I created cute and fun.
So instead of creating a wondrously plumed bird who sang arias, I created a little, brightly-colored bird that chittered and squawked.
But that’s okay, because my awkward bird had a catchy message that even the fanciest birds couldn’t help but repeat:
Love is the sugar that makes the world tweet!
—Jellybean Reds, Creator of Little Creatures
*Since I wasn’t initiated into the Wanderlores’ Magic at that time, my clockwork bird didn’t have the illusion of life that Poppy’s creations did.
