Early Bird

Four-year-old Robin Aletta Byrd is furious when she finds out her full name is actually Robin “A Little” Bird. She doesn’t even like birds. And she’s super annoyed that she can’t fly. Then she finds Sparkle, a big-mouthed, half-naked baby cedar waxwing. He whistles and poops his way into her heart. She slowly discovers a deep love for all things avian.

This unique, heartwarming story is told in a series of fictionalized real-life bird encounters accompanied by author’s notes. Robin’s tale unfolds with birds flitting in and out of her life as she deals with her parents; her difficult big brother, Jay; and her sweet, mindless sister, Wren.

As their lives ebb and flow, Robin’s family is jostled by a multitude of joyous and poignant events. Through it all, Robin is lifted and guided into adulthood, through her career as an avian veterinarian and challenges with her own brood, and into the final days of old age, all on the wings of birds.