Owls in our yard! The story of Alfie

Ecologist Safina writes with warmth and wonder as he describes his family's experience caring for an orphaned eastern screech owl. Alfie, who first appeared as little more than a filthy ball of feathers, would grow into a beauty that, though able to survive in the wild, chose to remain near the Safina home. Safina smoothly incorporates owl facts into his personal narrative, and his investment in Alfie's well-being--further evidenced by the numerous, adorable color photos of her--will be reciprocated wholeheartedly by the reader. The family's worries that Alfie might not fly or be capable of hunting are keenly described, making her successes on both fronts all the more exciting. But things kick into high gear when Alfie brings home a mate (Plus One), and they raise a brood of three owlets, aptly described as resembling "cotton candy with big eyes," in the nesting box affixed to Safina's house. Perhaps the most dramatic interlude is when the newly fledged owlets try to settle in a tree only to be fiercely evicted by its resident blue jays and robins--an ordeal that all survive and Safina describes with a mix of concern and a scientist's measured understanding. Nonfiction and nature lovers will be swept up by this heartening story. A natural fit for Sy Montgomery fans and fledgling Scientists in the Field readers.