5 Chatty Mynah Birds, is a playful, rhythmic counting book aimed at 0-6 year olds. Written and beautifully illustrated by Emma-Jane Richards, it was originally created as a lullaby for her daughter about birds and places found on St Helena Island.
Filled with charming original hand drawn illustrations created by Emma-Jane herself. 5 Chatty Mynah Birds consists of 28 pages, with each page showcasing a commonly found bird on St Helena Island, accompanded by the orginall words of the lullaby. Included are the Mynah bird (as the inspiration for the title), Sparrow, Fairy tern, Turtle dove and the Wirebird. Each beautifuly depicted in various trees and places around the Island, like HTH, Sandy Bay, Heart Shaped waterfall and Deadwood.
About 5 Chatty Mynah Birds, Emma-Jane says that it was a fun way to talk about the Island with her daughter, who was 2 at the time “I naturally fell into a rhythm of creating songs and stories that reflected St Helena and my own childhood growing up playing in HTH. It is important to me to build a connection with St Helena for my daughter, who was born in the UK, so she has pride in our shared heritage. And this book is a small part of that.”
The idea of turning the lullaby into a book came during the start of the 2020 pandemic. Emma-Jane says she started sketching out the idea for the book during the pandemic quarantine, and what began as a distraction and creative challenge during this time quickly turned into a passion project. “We all have passion projects that never see the light of day, but I was determined to have a record of my daughter's first visit to St Helena, and when she absolutely loved songs about the island. Turning it into a physical book helps keep the memory of that time and the lullaby I created alive.” Six years after Emma-Jane first started singing the lullaby, the book version of 5 Chatty Myrna birds has finally become a reality this year.
5 Chatty Mynah Birds is the first book published by Wirebird Press, an book imprint from The Saint Cook. Orginal illustartion and words by Emma-Jane Richards, with design by Robin Richards.
Details
Pubisher: Wirebird Press
Publication date: Oct 2025
Language: English
Print length: 28 pages
ISBN: 978-1-9193199-0-2
Weight: 150g
Dimensions: 210mm x 210mm
