Big Bird Battle

The Big Bird Battle tells the story of a turf war between two rival gangs: the Hard Hadedas and the Foul Guinea Fowl, each of which believes they have sole rights to the local park. As the other users of the park go about their daily activities, the rival birds harass and challenge each other. Their noisy scuffles cause a disruption until, finally, a pair of Egyptian geese intervene. Being larger than hadedas or guinea fowl, the geese soon take over, forcing the warring birds out of the park. As night falls and peace descends, the reader is left wondering whether this is truly the end of the conflict, or if the big bird battle will begin again as soon as the sun comes up.

Megan Furniss is a playwright, actor, writer and director. After graduating from UCT with a BA and a performer’s diploma in drama, she worked in conventional theatre before getting involved with the improvisation company, Theatresports. In 1993, she started her own improv troupe in Cape Town and is now the director and creative force behind Improvision, an industrial theatre company that facilitates such diverse initiatives as corporate team building, empowerment and confidence boosting, enhancing innovation and spontaneity, and working on issues surrounding diversity, racism and conflict resolution. Her theatrical acclaim includes a Fleur du Cap award for Innovation in Theatre, a Fleur du Cap nomination for best supporting actress, and a Standard Bank Ovation Award from the Grahamstown National Arts Festival. In addition to plays and theatre scripts, she has written two self-published novels, and writes short stories for competitions. Tanya Dunstan has a passion for illustrating children’s books. A graduate of the University of Pretoria, she has worked as a illustrator, freelance graphic designer and part-time lecturer. A mother of two, she understands how important fantasy and imagination are for a child’s development, and is inspired to create beautiful books that children love to read.

Book Partnerships

For the Fans