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Synopsis
When Annie's father plans to tear down the old barn and replace it with a modern shed, Annie and her grandfather worry about all the birds that nest in the rickety old ...
Children's Literature
Annie's grandpa tells her that birds can talk. "Not like you maybe,....and not like me, but they talk all right....I wonder if they understand us?" He is referring to the birds in their barn-the old barn that Annie's father wants to bulldoze and rebuild. Screecher, the owl, and Colly, the swallow, both have nests in the barn. One day a cat frightens Colly's baby bird and Screecher swoops down to save him. Soon after, lightning rips a hole through the barn. Annie's father says it is time to demolish the old building. Screecher and Colly overhear him and worry. Screecher's two owlets are not ready to fly and he won't leave them. Colly and the birds devise a plan to patch the barn. In this magical tale readers will believe that these flying creatures talk to each other, understand humans, and are smart enough to communicate with the characters. Annie had doubted her grandfather' words about talking birds. But, as the story progresses, she comes to believe that birds and owls not only communicate with each other, but are capable of forming powerful bonds with each other. This is evident to readers when they discover just how far Colly will go to help her beloved friend Screecher. This poignant story is a chapter book in the publisher's "Yellow Bananas" series. 2002 (orig.1991), Crabtree Publishing, Pettenati