A Place for Owls: True Animal Stories

I really enjoyed this book. It was well written, humorous, and informative. It is written at a level that can be appreciated by both adults and children. It provides children with an explanation of why it wrong to try to make pets out of raptors. This story explains how impression happens and shows how owls will identify with their caretaker. An example of this was two of the owls in the story who didn't know that they were owls. They thought that they were human beings and were frightened by other owls. These two illustrations of owls imprinting on humans show how lonely an owls life can become when they are dependent on humans for companionship. Luckily for these two owls, the McKeevers were more than willing to provide these two owls with all of the care and companionship that they needed. There is one part of this story that I don't care for though. It seemed kind of hypocritical. The McKeevers acquired a fertilized chicken egg for a broody female owl. The owl was overjoyed at the resulting chick that hatched and was a good mother to the baby, even though the chick didn't display any of the habits that on owlet would have. The climax came when the baby chick finally outgrew the pen and its grasping greedy habits frazzeled the mother owl to the point of no return. The Mckeevers took the chick out of the pen, and "humanely" disposed of it. Apparently bird life only has value if it is a raptor life??? I thought that part was pretty cold. Other than that I liked the way the story was written.

I wholeheartedly agree with the previous reviewer. This is a charming and well written book that conveys a real love of wildlife and imparts important information on the dangers of 'saving' orphaned wild birds. Learning of the individual personalities of these amusing, complex creatures helps us to view the wild beings that share our planet with deeper appreciation and compassion. A wonderful learning opportunity for children, and funny, too! My 9 year old son LOVES this book.

THIS SOUNDS LIKE A STORY FOR SMALL KIDS, BUT IT IS FOR ANY AGE AND DESERVES WIDE READING. I AM AN ADULT INTERESTED IN WILDLIFE BUT NO BIRDER. YEARS AGO I SAW THE MCKEEVERS' HOME AND THEIR ARRANGEMENTS FOR WOUNDED AND ORPHANED OWLS. I WAS ASTONISHED AT THEIR ABILITIES AND MODESTY. THE BOOK IS NOT 'CUTE' BUT A FINE PIECE OF WRITING TO SHARE WITH ADULT FRIENDS OR A CHILD. YOU LEARN A LOT. AND YES, IT IS CHARMING.