The Bird Prison follows a gardener with a vision of what a perfect garden should look like and even sound like, so when birds are drawn to her garden, she does her best to chase them away. What was the inspiration for the setup of your story?

This story isn’t really about gardening at all. It tells about a power struggle in which the ruler of a particular area keeps its inhabitants in a tight grip. It is also a story of selfishness, lack of empathy, and an inability to see the beauty that lies in diversity.

Although I always think about child readers and their needs when I write books, I may choose difficult societal situations as topics. Despite its apparent lightness, The Bird Prison belongs to such books because the themes beneath the surface are challenging.

Current events in the world of adults often make me think about the questions in this fairy tale’s background. Who has the right to define different boundaries, and in which situation is it right to cross them? How far can one go in using power without considering the status and well-being of others? How can families be protected against hostile and unfair behavior? Do the weaker parties have any means at their disposal? What kind of opportunities can be achieved through cooperation and helping?

I found the title of this story interesting, and it made me curious about the story within. How did you decide on the title of this book?

The name of this book was challenging to find. I first thought of many options related to the garden, but I had to reject them all. They were misleading and suggested a harmonious and tame story.

I wanted the title to indicate the book’s actual conflict, represented by the cage rising in the garden. Although the big cage—the bird prison—only appears in the middle of the story, it is clear from the beginning that the birds are not free. There is an ever-increasing threat to their nesting and existence, ultimately leading to captivity.

When I finally settled on The Bird Prison, I knew I was taking a risk because the word prison has such a strong emotional charge. I was willing to take that risk because the conflict with a beautiful garden and capturing birds requires a sufficiently strong title. It’s nice to hear that my choice has aroused interest and curiosity towards the story.

What were the morals you were trying to capture while creating your characters?

There are three main parties in my story. The cruel and selfish gardener, Griselda, represents the most prominent threat to the others in the garden. Her counterparts are the innocent birds, who alone are powerless in the face of evil, and the little but numerous group of ants.

As the story progresses, Griselda’s behavior becomes increasingly inhuman. By describing her progress through various demands and actions, I want readers to notice how gradually the effects of evil spread and grow. This happens in real life as well. If injustices and their progression are not paid attention to in time, fighting them becomes increasingly difficult and may eventually become impossible.

In the description of the birds, I emphasize the pressure and priority for living creatures to take care of their offspring. Birds’ behavior is mainly driven by the focus on securing the nest and caring for the chicks. In that situation and state of mind, their attention and strength are not enough for anything else. This makes the birds, in a way, powerless victims who could not survive without help from the outside.

Ants play a central role in the story. Although they are small, there are an impressive number of them. I want to encourage everyone who feels small and insignificant by highlighting the ants’ role and possibilities as they join their forces for a good purpose. I’m glad illustrator Sofia Panchyshyn managed to bring the ant characters so much friendly determination. The pictures of them wearing boots and shovels fit well into the scene where the birds escape prison through a tunnel.

What is one thing that people point out after reading your book that surprises you?

This book is still so new that I haven’t been able to discuss it with readers very much. The comments I’ve received so far show precisely what I’ve been waiting for. The readers’ reactions, mainly from the book-buying adults, could be divided into different groups based on what they pay attention to—illustrations, gardening, parenting, or powerplays in society in general.

For some readers, book illustrations are crucial—even so important that they rise above the story. The Bird Prison has exceptionally detailed pictures, which are the delicate art of Ukrainian Sofia Panchyshyn. Many visual-art-oriented people have admired them for a long time and devoutly also at the illustration exhibition I arranged at my Wickwick Summer Bookshop in July. Some of the most enthusiastic
home gardeners have studied the flowers and their colors in the drawings and told me about their gardening activities.

Children’s attention is often intensely focused on how to free the birds from the prison cage. So it’s no surprise that they think the most important heroes of the book are the ants, who dig a tunnel under the edge of the cage in the dark of the night.

Some adults immediately notice how serious the book is. The beautiful pictures do not fool them, but they see the themes of imprisonment, freedom, and rights behind the story. I have had good discussions with them about how even serious topics can be handled gently and encouragingly. In general, they find such a book necessary.

I’ll have an excellent opportunity to discuss my book further and hear readers’ comments when I present some of my books at the next Turku Book Fair on the Finnish Youth Authors’ Stage. My theme will be “Freedom and imprisonment in fairy tales”—a topic I like to talk about.

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