Mother Bird sat over her eggs. 'Not long now,' she said to Father Bird. Father Bird brought her worms and seeds. 'Not long at all.'
But that night there is a strange commotion above the tree, and in the morning a fourth egg, larger than the others, is in the nest. Mother Bird takes it under her wing with her own and as her own, and even though her little ones hatch, become independent, even flying away to warmer shores, she remains sitting on it waiting for it to hatch. Deep into winter she sits and waits, steadfast in her determination. with Father Bird taking care of her until food is scarce and the cold becomes overwhelming. Will Mother Bird's belief that "all eggs hatch" mean that she and Father Bird will make the ultimate sacrifice or will there be a miracle?
This is a soft, emotional story that is built on the beliefs and values of commitment, loyalty, resilience and most of all, hope. Even when the days seem darkest, Mother Bird believes there is better to come, even if it means risking her life to see her duty through. And when the egg finally hatches and what emerges is a surprise, she accepts it regardless. Because that's what mothers do - they take in strays and treat them as their own regardless of their appearance and circumstance. We've all met them in our lives - strangers helping strangers because they're vulnerable and need a hand up, not just a hand out.
Accompanied by the soft-line, soft-palette illustrations of Jess Racklyeft that deftly show the passing of time as well as the relationships and the emotions they evoke, Sofie Laguna has created another comforting story of unselfishness, kindness and determination that ensures we can all believe in and reach warmer shores.
This review can also be found here.
32 pages 9781761180330 Ages 4-8
Keywords: birds, family, mothers/babies, parenting, kindness, determination, unselfishness, helping others, accepting others, inclusivity, 4 year old, 5 year old, 6 year old, 7 year old
Recommended by: Barbara Braxton, Teacher Librarian, New South Wales AUSTRALIA
See more of her recommendations:
500 Hats http://500hats.edublogs.org/
The Bottom Shelf http://thebottomshelf.edublogs.org/
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When Mother Bird and Father Bird discover a large blue egg in their nest, they treat it as their own. A beautiful story about love and kindness and loyalty in the face of adversity, from the award-winning creators of many much-loved picture books including Iceberg and When You're Older.
Mother Bird sat over her eggs. 'Not long now,' she said to Father Bird. Father Bird brought her worms and seeds. 'Not long at all.'
When an extra egg appears in their nest and takes too long to hatch, Mother Bird and Father Bird must risk their lives to keep it warm.
And as the freezing winter takes hold and it seems all hope is lost, only something miraculous will save them.
A gorgeous and heartwarming picture book about love, commitment and discovery from an outstanding creative Sofie Laguna, acclaimed author of When You're Older, and Jess Racklyeft, award-winning illustrator of Iceberg.---from the publisher
