CHARLIE is a bully. He is rather plain, and his favourite pastime is taking snacks from others. He has a nick-name: "leather jacket", because he looks like he is a member of a tough gang.

When his glamorous aunt Margie comes to visit, Charlie is jealous of her good looks and confides in her that he acts like a bully because he looks so boring.

His aunt points out his handsome features and reminds him that it's not what you look like, but how you act that is important.

Charlie takes the point to heart and soon changes his behaviour, becoming kind - and winning new friends in the process.

And so goes the tale Darling Charlie Starling - one of six short stories in a new book for children by Sue Ellis, a former York teacher.

But here's the twist. Charlie isn't a little boy. He's a starling, and just one of six birds who are the "heroes" of Sue's stories.

Why birds?

"I'm an amateur twitcher," confesses Sue, who holidays each year on the Scottish island of Arran in order to see eagles there.

Her other favourite birds include geese and owls.

All three feature in her first book for children - Gorgeous Gwendolen Goose and Other Stories – along with robin redbreasts, seagulls and starlings.

Each story focuses on one bird and is set in a different British location, each personal to Sue, including Liverpool, where she was born, and York, where she lives now - all with colourful illustrations.

Each of the six stories has a clear moral in the style of an Aesop's Fable. The book is aimed at children aged between six and 11.

Themes in the book include bullying and leadership and being the best you can be.

"They are gentle, funny stories," begins Sue. "They are stories for parents to read to their children or for children to read by themselves."

Sue was a teacher for 26 years before becoming an educational advisor working on issues of pupil behaviour and attendance with schools across North Yorkshire.

From her many years at the chalk face she recognised the link between poor literacy and low levels of confidence in children. "Reading is one of the most important things you can do," she says.

She is already going into local schools to take assemblies based on some of the issues in the book, which include how to play in a team and learn to lose with dignity.

Sue said: "Each story has a message, but they are funny too. I want to encourage children to read and raise their self confidence and self esteem. If we don't do that they are not going to go out and make the world a better place."

Sue will also be signing copies of her book at WH Smith, Monk Cross, York, on Saturday from 2pm-5pm.

Gorgeous Gwendolen Goose and Other Stories is published by Austin Macauley, price £13.99, and is available from WH Smiths and Amazon.