18 Jun Stories Behind Stories: Obadiah the Ostrich

In this weekly series of blog posts, we hear from Bold Beasts Liverpool-based author Rachel Braddock on the inspiration behind her adorable little characters. This week, Rachel talks us through the story behind her creation Obadiah the Ostrich.

As some of you may already know, Bold Beasts is based in Liverpool, at the heart of the Penny Lane area, a very popular tourist hotspot. It’s a good place to call home, and one of the advantages of being based in Liverpool is that there are a lot of interesting places just a short drive away.

One such place is Knowsley Safari Park, which lies in between Liverpool and Formby, where Rufus the Red Squirrel lives. Recently, we visited this very popular safari park with our grandson, Joe, so that he could see the lions and other wild animals. It was a fascinating day for him!

Among these animals were one or two Ostriches, who were strutting about the place with their enormous muscly legs. We were under very strict instructions from the wardens to always make sure that our windows were tightly fastened at all times and that we did not leave the car. This was as well, because the ostriches seemed very interested in us and were probably rather frustrated at not being able to get closer to us.

However , they were not at all deterred, and continued to peck persistently at as many different parts of the car as they could get at. We were glad to be safely inside, and what’s more, it gave me the idea of a writing a story about a frustrated ostrich called Odadiah! I hope you enjoy it.

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