In 1943, smack dab in the middle of World War II, seven-year-old Dorie Cooper accompanied her mother on a trip to a UK hospital recovery ward to visit her distraught uncle, whose leg had been lost in a land mine explosion. To cheer him up, she made a simple request.
“Draw a bird for me, please.”
Her uncle obliged.
After seeing his sketch of a robin he’d observed out the window, Dorie laughed, announcing that he was not a very good artist, but told him she’d hang the picture in her room anyway. He took no offense and instead awarded her with a genuine smile.
The delight she created was apparently contagious to the other wounded soldiers who’d witnessed the interaction, and upon Dorie’s subsequent visits, they held drawing contests to see who could create the best bird pictures. Doctors witnessed patient morale improving by leaps and bounds, and soon the entire ward was covered with bird drawings—as was Dorie’s coffin when she died in a car accident a few years later. April 8, 1947, marked the first official Draw a Bird Day on what would have been her birthday.
Her story continued to spread beyond the borders of England and across the many decades to the present. Almost a century later, people around the globe are still creating cheer for themselves and for others by taking a few moments on April 8 to draw a bird.
These simple small acts are meant as little celebrations, mini meditations that relieve us—even for a moment—from the suffering of a warring world and the worry of troubled times. Every April 8, there are teachers who draw birds with the students in their classroom—and librarians who provide paper and crayons to visiting patrons. The goal is not artistic adeptness but just to draw a bird—any way you know how—and share it.
Reading about Dorie’s story made me think of the satirical sketch in the very first episode of Portlandia: “Put a bird on it!” This kitschy gimmick to make an item more sellable (be it a canvas bag, a greeting card, or a vase) points humorously at the truth: “putting a bird on it” turns an ordinary object into an extraordinary one—because who doesn’t love the silhouette of a swallow? Or the adorable shape of a goose? I think of my friend Joey, who recently knitted a sweater for her grandson … with a bird on it. Or my friend Clint, who proudly sports a couple dozen birdy tee-shirts and is working on a memoir of sorts called Bird’n It. Or my buddy Corwin, whose Cayuga ducks have stopped laying eggs on the regular but are kept around because, well, “the little freeloaders” happen to be pretty good company.
The older I get, the more these funny, feathered dinosaurs capture my heart. They have my attention when I plant my garden with tasty green things that bring the soft-bodied bugs their young can eat. They claim a large part of my paycheck every winter, because come January an empty feeder just feels cruel and unusual. I chase the neighbor’s cat out of my yard on a continual basis. “Don’t you eat my birds!” My birds (ha!) come in the shapes and colors of cardinals, woodpeckers, nuthatches, bluejays, juncos, purple finches, chickadees, and the sparrowy little “dirt birds,” as I affectionately call them. Yes, even the dusty, dime-a-dozen chirpers who cluster at the top of my crabapple tree bring me happiness.
I hope it’s true, that the meek shall inherit the earth.
For now, the bird lovers here at The Iowa Source have decided that the meek shall inherit the May issue of the magazine!
I invite you to take a minute or two on April 8 and draw a bird! Whether you’re choosing owls or orioles—the sky is quite literally the limit—don’t fret about creating a work of fine art; stick drawings are more than acceptable. Next, share it! And finally, pretty please, send us your drawing by April 15. Take a photo of it with your phone, or if you want, you can send the original. We’d be honored to share your drawings with our readers across Eastern Iowa on the cover of our very next issue. Whether you’re down in Van Buren County or up in Decorah, we hope you’ll participate in DAB Day 2026!
If you’re in the Jefferson County area, stop by the Fairfield Public Library at 104 W. Adams Avenue on Wednesday, April 8, from 2–5 p.m., where you’ll find a table set up specifically for drawing birds. All supplies will be generously provided by the library. I’ll be there in person, sketching happily away. Come draw a bird and brighten both our days.
GG’s Signs & Designs at 51 W. Broadway (#102, in the alley) will also be set up with “paint a bird on a rock” supplies. Stop by on April 8 anytime between 10 a.m.–6 p.m., take a little art break, and help support a new small business on the square.
Please send your bird pictures by April 15 to source@lisco.com or The Iowa Source, 108 W. Broadway, Suite 205, Fairfield, Iowa, 52556. You can send them anonymously or include your name so we can thank you in print!
