Tag: Birds

Posted in Uncategorized

The Smallest Bird is perfect for If You Give a Mouse… readers

Posted on by Rosemary Kiladitis

The Smallest Bird: A Friendship Story, by Joy Belin/Illustrated by Sarah Hwang, (June 2025, Holiday House), $18.99, ISBN: 9780823456994

Ages 3-7

To befriend a small bird, you have to be careful not to scare him. Be gentle and kind. Share your snacks. Bring him to your secret hiding place and show him you’re so happy to be his friend by singing a song, maybe even dance a little dance. If he is ready to go, remember that the smallest bird is meant to fly… but if you’re patient, know that he’ll come back to his friend. This sweet story is reminiscent of If You Give a Mouse a Cookie and other cumulative tales. Each step the featured boy makes allows the smallest bird to feel more secure; their friendship progresses through a series of actions, briefly explained with Belin’s direct prose. The digital artwork is cheerful, bright, and unfussy. This was a popular selection for my latest readaloud. Try it with your groups!

 

 

Posted in picture books, Preschool Reads

Seven: A Most Remarkable Pigeon gives heroism wings

Posted on by Rosemary Kiladitis

Seven: A Most Remarkable Pigeon, by Sandra Nickel/Illustrated by Aimée Sicuro, (May 2025, Candlewick Press), $17.99, ISBN: 9781536235197

Ages 4-8

Seven, named because seven is considered a lucky name among pigeons, isn’t like the other pigeons. Most pigeons “arrive in twos”, but with Seven’s birth, there was only one. That alone set tongues a-wagging, but Seven is different in many other ways: he lets his sense guide him, leading him to craft nests of flower petals and being sidetracked by the delicious scents of a bustling French city. The other pigeons fret that he “he doesn’t nest. He doesn’t flock. And remember, there was only one”, but when the entire flock gets lost in a fog and starts to panic, it’s Seven and his wonderful sense of smell that guides him – and his flock – back to safety. A gentle story about navigating the world a little differently, Nickel’s storytelling is pairs wonderfully with Sicuro’s watercolor, goauche, and ink illustrations to tell a story that’s a feast for the senses. Pastel swirls entice Seven’s nose and transport readers to bustling city streets; expressive characters invoke pathos for Seven and will have readers cheering for him by the story’s close. I read this out loud to my storytime group last week and received a great response. An author’s note about pigeons makes up the back matter. Seven celebrates divergence and is an excellent purchase for social-emotional collections.

Posted in picture books, Preschool Reads

Building a Beak showcases STEM with a heart

Posted on by Rosemary Kiladitis

Building a Beak: How a Toucan’s Rescue Inspired the World, by Becca McMurdie/Illustrated by Diana Hernandez, (June 2024, Page Street Kids), $18.99, ISBN: 9781645678687

Ages 4-8

Based on the true story of an injured toucan and the people who helped her, Building a Beak is a touching story of cruelty and empathy. In the Costa Rican treetops, a toucan later named Grecia went about her days and nights until someone – still unknown – caused her to fall and break her beak. Rescuers found her and brougt her to a veterinarian, who determined that without the beak, Grecia would not be able to eat, sing, bathe, or balance. Grecia’s plight went public, prompting activists from all over to push for the passage of animal welfare law 18,298, making it illegal to harm wildlife. Engineers created a blueprint for a 3-D printable beak, successfully attached during a delicate surgery. Grecia’s story is an uplifting tale of human kindness while bringing to light the problems with animal cruelty and how devastating a thoughtless act can be. Humanizing Grecia goes a long way here, from naming the toucan to McMurdie’s providing an inner dialogue for her. Hernandez’s illustrations show brown-skinned scientists, animal rescuers, and activists coming together not only for Grecia’s sake, but the sake of the planet. An author’s note, timeline, and bibliograpy make up the back matter. A strong addition to STEM/STEAM collections.

There are some good Grecia resources available online, including this article from Costa Rica Ricos. Visit Rescate Wildlife Rescue Center’s webpage to learn more about the center where Grecia recovered and lived after the attack. My Dear Journal has a fun toucan paper plate craft for a post-storytime or extension activity.

Posted in Non-Fiction, picture books, Preschool Reads

Funky Flamingos? But of course!

Posted on by Rosemary Kiladitis
Flamingos are Pretty Funky: A (Not So) Serious Guide, by Abi Cushman, (June 2024, Greenwillow Books), $19.99, ISBN: 9780063234444

Ages 4-8

Abi Cushman has a companion book to Wombats are Pretty Weird (2023), and it’s all about flamingos. Friendly Joey the Snake is back as our guide through the world of flamingos, with more amusing commentary (we find out who he was named for this time). Cushman fills Flamingos with fun facts and entertaining dialogue from the birds themselves, especially the “Lesser Flamingo” who is not really thrilled with their name. You may have heard that flamingos get their pink pigmentation from their food, but did you know that during mating season, a gland near their tail provides an oil that they can use as DIY makeup? Or that their nests look like little volcanoes? You may also not want to wade out in water to catch a better look at a flamingo: they can withstand water that’s boiling hot or corrosive chemicals. Yikes! Side-bars and cartoon art, speech balloons and labeled pictures all facilitate learning, and informational backmatter, including glossary, make this a good addition to your animal collections. Visit Abi Cushman’s author webpage for some free downloadable resources!

Want a fun extension activity? This flamingo craft from Simple Mom Project is easy to print and assemble.

 

Posted in picture books, Preschool Reads, Toddler Reads, Uncategorized

Big books for little ones: board books and more!

Posted on by Rosemary Kiladitis

You know I love a board book bonanza, but I’ve got other interactive books to crow about, too! Let’s go right to it!

Ultimate Spotlight: Caring for Earth, by Sandra Laboucarie & Sarah Reynard/Illustrated by Julie Mercier, (March 2023, Twirl Books), $16.99, ISBN: 9791036353239

Ages 4-6

Twirl’s Ultimate Spotlight series is such fun for pre-readers and emerging readers. Loaded with interactive devices like lift-the-flaps, pull tabs, and spinners, each book is like a little adventure. Caring for Earth, the newest book in the series, is a fun and informative look into conservation and preservation. Spreads on respecting nature, creating gardens, eco-friendly living inform grown-ups and children about the many easy ways we can take action to keep our Earth green: create and support a seed library; compost food waste; switch from liquid soap to bar soap, and take a healthy walk when you can! Spreads on gardening show readers the different layers helpful in creating a layered ecosystem. Translated from the original French, the verbiage runs smoothly and is easy to read to younger learners. Flaps and pulls are sturdy and hold up to use (but I always suggest keeping an extra in your reference collection if you want to hold one for storytime and STEM programming). A good addition to a very fun series.

 

Hello Hummingbirds: Read and play in the tree!, by Hannah Rogge/Illustrated by Emily Dove, (May 2023, Chronicle Books), $12.99, ISBN: 9781797210094

Ages 2-4

This adorable book comes with two hummingbirds, attached to ribbons, that readers can use to swoop and play with the hummingbird narrator. A friendly hummingbird greets readers and takes them through a day in the life: swooping and flying, enjoying flower nectar, sheltering and building a nest. Quick, fun facts thread through the narrative, while the colorful artwork and playful fonts engage readers. The book stands up and pages open to become a tree. The pages are sturdy and the ribbons seem to hold up to extra tugging, making this a good storytime/playtime choice.

Let’s Go to Color Camp!: Beginning Baby, by Nicola Slater, (June 2023, Twirl Books), $12.99, ISBN: 9781797218724

Ages 0-3

The Beginning Baby friends return on a trip to Color Camp – and they need help identifying colors! Tabbed flaps with colors help children turn to a favorite color, or they can page through the story where they’re invited to identify colors in the camp surroundings as the Beginning Baby friends paint, eat lunch, go swimming, and enjoy a day at camp. The retro art and expressive, friendly animals are eye-catching, and the sturdy pages will hold up to multiple readings. Great for a read-aloud and quiet skill-building, this is a fun addition to a fun series.

 

Posted in Intermediate, Non-Fiction

Birds Everywhere! For the burgeoning birder in your life!

Posted on by Rosemary Kiladitis

Birds Everywhere, by Camilla de la Bedoyere/Illustrated by Britta Teckentrup, (March 2023, Big Picture Press), $17.99, ISBN: 9781536229738

Ages 6-9

The latest in the “Animals Everywhere” series has gone to the birds! Birds Everywhere features birds from all over the world, from prehistoric birds like the archaeopteryx to the more modern-day birds like parrots and finches. Teckentrup’s colorful digital artwork introduces a nonstop parade of avians, all labeled to acquaint readers with new flying feathered friends. de le Bedoyere’s factual text is engaging and informative, with thought-provoking questions and fun facts throughout. Birds Everywhere looks at bird biology and evolution; habitats and eating habits, and more. Sections on penguins and barn owls give readers a spotlight of sorts on some favorites. Endpapers feature penguins, with a fun challenge at the close. The foil-embellished cover will draw eyes right away. Fun and informative, this is perfect for a quick reference and introduction to birds for emerging readers.

 

Posted in picture books, Preschool Reads, Uncategorized

Love is the muse in Maurice

Posted on by Rosemary Kiladitis

Maurice, by Jessixa Bagley, (May 2023, Chronicle Books), $17.99, ISBN: 9781797211732

Ages 5-8

Maurice is a canine concert musician-turned-busker, motivated by love in this moving tale about the ultimate inspiration. Introducing Maurice as a musician who once played to large music halls until “times and things changed. They always do”, Maurice now brings joy to everyone around him as a street musician. He lives a quiet, kind life and draws inspiration from the many birds who share his apartment: “Though his own joys were small, they were his whole world”. He has named them all; he speaks lovingly to all of them, and they inspire him. Sadly, as “the melody of life change[s] once more”, Maurice’s busking cup runs dry and he must let the birds go, leaving his heart empty. Bagley’s stunning gatefold spread shows the beauty the birds flying off into the sunset and the devastation on Maurice’s face as he watches them leave. Moving toward a resolution, we learn that “hearts remember” kindness. In concert, Maurice is surrounded in the darkness of the concert hall and alone under the spotlight; as a busker, he is bathed in warm colors, surrounded by other canines who delight in his music, really delivering the message that Maurice is motivated by love and sharing his gift. A good choice for collections.

Maurice received a starred review from Publishers Weekly.

Posted in picture books

Blog Tour: Outside Amelia’s Window

Posted on by Rosemary Kiladitis

I’ve got a beautiful book for you today, my friends, A story of a little girl who has to renegotiate her world, powered by her imagination, we have Outside Amelia’s Window, by Caroline Nastro and Anca Sandu Budisan.

Outside Amelia’s Window, by Caroline Nastro/Illustrated by Anca Sandu Budisan, (March 2023, Two Lions),
$17.99, ISBN: 9781542027854
Ages 5-8

Amelia is a young girl with brand new neighbors, and they have two children to play with! But Amelia isn’t ready to play with them: “Not like she used to”; we discover that Amelia uses a wheelchair and Nastro’s storytelling gently helps us understand that this is a recent development. Losing herself in fantastic stories of dragons, wizards, and magic, Amelia keeps to herself until the day a bird takes one of her ribbons from her treasure box. Amelia, fascinated as the bird builds a nest and the hatchlings appear, reads about birds and allows herself to be transported through their travels. If the birds can travel further and further, pushing themselves a little more each time, maybe she can, too.

An moving, uplifting story about overcoming fear, Outside Amelia’s Window is beautifully illustrated in watercolor and pencils, creating dreamlike spreads that let us lose ourselves in Amelia’s stories and in the scenes outside her window. You can feel the breeze in the air as you hear the sounds of Amelia’s neighbors playing in their yard, and the “cheeps” of newly hatched redstart chicks. Watercolor pages from Amelia’s research on the birds provide a fun way to educate readers and creates beautiful texture. Endpapers display notes, reading, and toys from Amelia’s collection. Amelia’s imagination takes readers all over the world and to fantasy lands, while her story – overcoming fear and navigating her new reality – makes for a powerful, motivating tale. An excellent choice for picture book collections.

 

“An uplifting tale of birds and bravery.” —Kirkus Reviews

“A gentle reminder of the joy to be found in embracing adventure and expanding horizons.” —Booklist

 

Caroline Nastro was born and raised in New York City. Her first picture book, The Bear Who Couldn’t Sleep, illustrated by Vanya Nastanlieva, has been translated into three languages and was chosen as a Bank Street Best Picture Book of the Year in Spanish. Outside Amelia’s Window is Anca Sandu Budisan and Caroline Nastro’s second collaboration. Their first book, Fly, Little Bird, Fly!, was published in 2021. Caroline attended the Sorbonne University in Paris, France, and has a master’s degree in theater from Stanford University. She is an award-winning theater director and playwright. Learn more about the author at www.carolinenastro.com.

Anca Sandu Budisan was born in Romania and studied children’s illustration at Cambridge School of Art in England. She is the author and illustrator of the picture books Churchill’s Tale of Tails and The Astonishing Case of the Stolen Stories. She is the illustrator of the Lana Lynn series, written by Rebecca Van Slyke; Gnu and Shrew, written by Danny Schnitzlein; and Fly, Little Bird, Fly!, written by Caroline Nastro. She currently lives in Oregon. Learn more about the artist online at www.ancasandubudisan.com.

Instagram: @ancasan

Posted in Intermediate, Middle Grade, Non-fiction, Non-Fiction, Preschool Reads, Toddler Reads

Animals, Animals, Animals! Books for everyone!

Posted on by Rosemary Kiladitis

I’ve got a bunch of great animal books, courtesy of NatGeo Kids, to talk up today, so sit back and start your program and collection planning!

Can’t Get Enough Shark Stuff: Fun Facts, Awesome Info, Cool Games, Silly Jokes, and More!, by National Geographic Kids, (May 2022, National Geographic Kids), $14.99, ISBN: 9781426372582

Ages 7-10

The latest NatGeo Kids offering fits perfectly with the CSLP “Oceans of Possibilities” Summer Reading theme, and it’s a good add to your collections and programming. Filled with fun spreads and facts, quizzes, and experiments, this is part workbook (remind kids that we don’t write in library books!), part STEM/Discovery Club handbook, and part primer on sharks for shark fans. A glossary “Catch and Match” game challenges readers to match terms with their definitions and a “Find Out More” section offers resources for further reading and a list of scientists and researchers who contributed to this volume. Over 250 color photographs show a variety of sharks, many labeled with names. A great resource to create shark-related scavenger hunts, trivia programs, and science projects for the summer and beyond.
Don’t forget that Shark Week starts on July 24th! STEAMsational has some great Shark Week activities that I want to try out with my Queens Kids (my affectionate term for my library kiddos); TeachersPayTeachers has some great freebies, too, including these coloring sheets courtesy of The WOLFe Pack; these Facts vs. Opinion cards from A Classroom for All Seasons would make for fun trivia or debate programs, and Simply Learning Life’s Feed the Shark Counting Game is a quick and fun printable for busy bags.

Critter Chat, by National Geographic Kids, (May 2022, National Geographic Kids), $9.99, ISBN: 9781426371707

Ages 8-12

If animals used social media, it would probably look like this amusing digest from NatGeo Kids. Using imagined screenshots, webpages, and social media accounts like “Llamazon”, “Dolphinstagram”, and “Yowl”, Desert_long-eared_bat reviews the Algerian Desert (5 stars – “…everything I could ever want in a dining establishment! It’s hot, it’s dry, it’s sandy, and it’s packed with scorpions”) and Upside_down_jellyfish posts selfies from the Caribbean Sea. Animals chat to one another via “Critter Chat”, and Animal Influencers spotlight famous animals like Fiona the Hippo, Punxsutawney Phil, and Brigadier Sir Nils Olav, the only penguin who’s also a knight. Hashtags and selfies communicate fun facts about animals, habitats, and more. It’s a fun way to learn little tidbits about animals, and perfect for middle graders to relax with and enjoy. Great for trivia and a side project – ask readers what they think animals would post to social media!

TeachersPayTeachers has fun social media templates that your kids can customize to make their own Critter Chats: here’s one from ZippaDeeZazz, and The Cute Teacher has phone screen layouts.

 

 

Little Kids First Nature Guide: Bugs, by National Geographic Kids, (May 2022, National Geographic Kids), $9.99, ISBN: 9781426371493

Ages 4-8

Great for younger nature fans, the Little Kids First Nature Guide: Bugs introduces little learners to all sorts of bugs. Full-color photos are labeled and accompanied by easy-to-read and understand facts, scientific terms, and diagrams. Spreads on insect life cycles of demonstrate a photo-by-photo, step-by-step explanation, using photos of different bugs. Profiles on ants, bees, beetles, and other bugs give readers a close-up look at different insects, with facts and related (but not the same!) bugs. Fun activities like Hide-and-Seek and Move Like a Bug! encourage readers with extension activities, and a glossary of terms keeps all that new vocabulary on hand. The flexible binding is made of sturdy cardboard and will hold up to many, many nature walks. Fully indexed for easy reference. A fun, informative guide for preschoolers and early school-age kids.

Education.com has fantastic butterfly activities you can download and print for free; ditto for sheets on bugs in general. There are some adorable activities on Pocket of Preschool that you can do on a budget.

 

 

Little Kids First Big Book of Baby Animals, by National Geographic Kids, (March 2022, National Geographic Kids), $14.99, ISBN: 9781426371462

Ages 4-8

The Little Kids NatGeo Kids books are adorable, aren’t they? I’ve got a bunch here at my library, and my now 10-year-old loved them when he was in Pre-K and Kindergarten. (As he’s 10, he is no longer a “little kid”, as he tells me. Often.) The Little Kids First Big Book of Baby Animals contains over 120 pages of squeal-worthy color photos of baby animals with their families. You pull this out and show it to your kids – library or otherwise – and you will have a roomful of little ones in the palm of your hand. And when you tell them things like a panda cub’s cry sounds like a human baby’s cry? Or that a hippo can’t swim yet, so it gallops underwater? They will tell you ALL about their favorite animals, and the cute things that the animals in their lives do, so get ready to have the best, cutest conversations about baby animals. Fun facts and thought-provoking questions run throughout the book, and text is larger in size, making it easier and less dense for younger kids and emerging readers. A map of the world at the end of the book is color coded to show where animals referenced in the book live, and parent tips help caregivers extend the knowledge from the book into the real world. There is a glossary of terms, a list of additional resources, and a full index. Add this book to your animals collections.

123Homeschool4me has some free printables where kids can match baby and adult animals and learn the terms for different baby animals.

 

 

Little Kids First Board Book: Birds, by National Geographic Kids, (March 2022, National Geographic Kids), $7.99, ISBN: 9781426371448

Ages 0-3

I love NatGeo Kids’s First Board books! They’re so bright and cheery, and the photos and activities are perfect for engaging littles during a lapsit storytime. The latest is Birds, and contains 12 spreads with color photos of different birds. Each spread has a simple, one-sentence factual statement and a colorful callout fact about birds, and each picture is labeled with the name of the bird in a colorful box with bold black lettering. Names of birds and key phrases get a nice, colorful font that sets them off from the rest of the text. A final spread invites readers to try different activities to identify six featured birds: “Tap the toucan’s beak. / Flap your arms like the eagle.”

This is the seventh Little Kids First Board Book. It’s a great series for beginning learners, with sturdy cardboard to hold up to many circs and readings. NatGeo Kids has a birds website where learners can watch videos, see maps, and learn facts about 24 different birds, presented in alphabetical order. Also check out their Strange Birds website for photos of more feathered friends.

Happy Hooligans has a great list of 25 bird crafts for little ones that are easy on easily done on a budget.

 

National Geographic Readers: Mythical Beasts: 100 Fun Facts About Real Animals and the Myths They Inspire, by National Geographic Kids, (Jan. 2022, National Geographics Kids), $4.99, ISBN: 9781426338939

Ages 7-10

Unicorns, dragons, and krakens all have one thing in common: they’re mythical creatures with origins in very real history. NatGeo Kids’s Mythical Beasts is a Level 3 Reader, good for most readers ages 7-10, that provides 100 facts on real animals and the myths they’ve inspired or are named for. A helpful key to NatGeoKids’s leveling system is right on the back cover, and I like using the 5-finger rule for choosing a book when I do my Readers Advisory. The book is organized into 3 chapters and two 25 Facts spreads that give readers the roundup on history’s mysteries: mermaids were most likely manatees, who have fishy tales but can turn their heads from side to side like humans; the giant Kraken was most likely a giant squid. Using research and the fossil record, color photos and illustrations, NatGeo Kids author Stephanie Warren Drimmer takes kids through the process of figuring out why ancient people mistook a distant ancestor of the elephant was mistaken for a cyclops, and how dinosaur fossils led folks to believe that they discovered proof of dragons. We get some modern-day mythical behavior, too: the basilisk lizard can run across water, and adult jellyfish can age in reverse and regrow into adults again, like the phoenix’s power to be reborn (sans ashes, though). The back matter rounds up all 100 facts across a spread (and makes for great trivia questions).

Fun for a STEM/Discovery Club, fun for collections. And you can extend the activity with mythical creature-inspired crafts. Give kids a manatee coloring page and let them create mermaid friends. They can create a giant squid of their own, or try their hands at this fun paper roll squid craft. Make a handprint unicorn and give it a narwhal friend.

 

Posted in picture books, Preschool Reads, Toddler Reads

Books about Birds

Posted on by Rosemary Kiladitis

Birds are a great storytime theme: there are great songs and fingerplays, crafts are plentiful and adorable, and there’s a bird for every season. I’ve got some new(ish) bird books for your storytimes right here; let’s see what’s good.

Odd Birds: Meet Nature’s Weirdest Flock, by Laura Gehl/Illustrated by Gareth Lucas, (June 2022, Abrams Appleseed), $8.99, ISBN: 9781419742231

Ages 2-4

Laura Gehl and Gareth Lucas’s companion board book to Odd Beasts (2021) has gone to the birds! Odd Birds is a rhyming look at eight different birds, all with unusual characteristics: “This seabird has a pouch. / This booby has blue feet. / This shoebill’s beak is huge. / This ostrich likes the heat.” Striking, colorful illustration brings these birds to life, with a new spread for every encounter. Back matter includes photos and descriptions on each of the eight featured birds: the magnificent frigatebird; the blue-footed booby; the ostrich; the shoebill stork; the hoatzin; the oilbird; the California condor, and the burrowing owl. An excellent storytime choice.

 

The Song of the Nightingale, by  Tanya Landman/Illustrated by Laura Carlin, (Apr. 2022, Candlewick Studio), $17.99, ISBN: 9781536217681

Ages 6-9

A newly created world thrums with color, but the animals are so drab! The Painter sets to work, imbuing each animal with color and patterns, from the striped zebras and blue whales to the golden scarab beetle. As the day comes to an end and the animals head back to their homes, the Painter discovers a shy bird, preferring the quiet and stillness of the nighttime, has come forward for a splash of color. Will the Painter have enough paint left?

This rich story carries the lyricism and storytelling magic of myth and legend. Tanya Landman uses sporadic rhyme, alliteration, and humor to tell her story and enchant readers. Watercolor, acrylic, and pencil illustrations add a dreamlike quality, letting readers easily imagine an omniscient Painter wielding a paintbrush to bring color to their world. Th titular character’s gift adds a final spark of wonder. Endpapers show black and white and colorful menageries. A gorgeous story that wraps itself around readers.

Show kids a picture of a nightingale at National Geographic. Print out some coloring pages and let kids become Painters! Here are some nightingale pictures, and here are some wild animal coloring pages.

 

Chirp!, by Mary Murphy, (March 2022, Candlewick Press), $17.99, ISBN: 9781536217698

Ages 2-6

Mary Murphy has entered that realm of go-to authors I always have ready for anyone who asks me for book suggestions for early readers: Eric Carle, Lois Ehlert, Donald Crews, and Mary Murphy. With Chirp!, different birds show off their different songs as the night gradually moves toward a bright new day. A little bluebird demands their turn, and the other birds join in, serenading the new day. Bold, easy-to-read fonts and high-contrast illustrations make this an excellent lapsit choice for babies, too!

With colorful, bold illustrations, cheerful rhymes, and lovable characters, kids love looking at her books, and grownups love reading them. An insta-buy for storytime collections.

 

The Legend of the Storm Goose, by Fiona Halliday, (Feb. 2022, Page Street Kids), $17.99, ISBN: 9781645673484

Ages 5-8

Fiona Halliday creates a legend, inspired by the Scottish coastline of her childhood, about a magical bird that protects those who live and work along the coast. Erin is a little girl living with her dad and her Nana, and loves hearing her father’s stories about the Storm Goose, a great white bird who protects him while he’s at sea. Shortly after he returns to the sea, a terrible storm hits and she discovers an injured bird, tangled in a net. Is it the Storm Goose? And if it is, who’s protecting her Papa?

The Legend of the Storm Goose is a moving story of grief, loss, and recovery. Illustrations add a mythic quality to the overall look and feel of the story, with the Storm Goose wreathed in gold dust; a shimmering aura. A sensitive story about healing oneself by healing another.