![](https://michelstreich.com/wp-content/uploads/Scarybird-cover.jpg)
There’s a new bird in the aviary, and everyone’s in a flap! He’s strange and different – and scary! Will the scary bird ever feel at home with the others? A funny and lighthearted take on migration and fear of newcomers, on leaving home, new beginnings and old memories.
Published by Scholastic Press
ISBN 9781743838594
![](https://michelstreich.com/wp-content/uploads/Scarybird-internal01.jpg)
![](https://michelstreich.com/wp-content/uploads/Scarybird-internal02.jpg)
![](https://michelstreich.com/wp-content/uploads/Scarybird-internal03.jpg)
![](https://michelstreich.com/wp-content/uploads/Scarybird-internal04.jpg)
![](https://michelstreich.com/wp-content/uploads/Scarybird-internal05.jpg)
![](https://michelstreich.com/wp-content/uploads/Scarybird-internal06.jpg)
![](https://michelstreich.com/wp-content/uploads/Scarybird-internal07.jpg)
The story of Scary Bird in part has its origins in my own experiences – I migrated first to England, then to Australia. And there are stories of migration all through my family – stories of people happily looking for adventure, and stories of people having to flee their homes.
I’ve always found it perplexing that xenophobia exists in Australia, a country where most people were either born overseas, or have at least one parent born overseas. 20% of Australians speak a language other than English at home. 3% of the population are indigenous Australians – the rest are either migrants, or are descended from migrants.