"Pirate steals away,
feather in his beak.
When Satin returns, he scours his bower.
Where is his welcome mat?"
A young girl, who has a defining interest in birds and an artistic ability to keep a journal about them, is the keen-eyed watcher for this often-humorous tale of a satin bowerbird, aptly named Satin. A treehouse patio is her desk. It sports a pencil case, binoculars, a pencil sharpener, an eraser, her journal and two field guides, marked with post-it notes to keep the information needed front and center.
She watches carefully as Satin collects twigs for nest making. A detailed map of the route taken to gather all manner of things that Satin will need fills the bottom half of a double page spread as his real work begins in earnest. It's looking good! Satin feels a certain something is missing. Off he flies to find it.
While gone, a female bowerbird named Pea shows interest in the development of the nest. Pirate, a grumpy older bowerbird, swoops close, scaring Pea away and stealing the feather left behind by Satin. Satin is quick to replace what was meant to be a welcome mat. Pirate also steals the sock replacement, right out from under Pea. Leaving the nest means it is vulnerable to further thieving. Satin returns to devastation ... and once again, no welcome mat.
With help from the watcher, Satin rebuilds and sends off Pirate in full retreat. Now, he has time for wooing a lady friend with the mat, a song and dance, and other enhancements. It works!
"Before long,
nestlings
become
fledglings,
full bloom.
And in time, adults in
search of mates."
It was obviously a stressful courtship, but the end result is charming. Informative and engaging, with labeled sketches sure to attract budding journalists, this book will surely attract readers. Brightly colored digital artwork provides context for the information shared. The appended "Bower Power" back matter and appealing endpapers up the learning. This is a terrific read-aloud.
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