A young lad named Tom rescues an injured magpie & takes her into his care. They become the best of friends and once Maggie the Magpie recovers, Tom releases her back into the wild. They reunite in the most heartfelt way when Tom revisits the area.

The author tells about his and his family's experiences as Japanese American internees at the Heart Mountain Relocation Center in Wyoming from 1942 to the end of World War II. During that time, he made friends with a magpie whom he named Maggie.

They saved a little bird . . . And in return she saved them tooAfter a near-fatal fall left Sam Bloom paralysed, no one - not her husband Cameron, nor their three boys - could reach her in the darkest days of her struggle. But everything changed when a new member of the family unexpectedly landed in their lives: an injured magpie chick abandoned after she fell from her nest, whom they named Penguin Bloom. Powerful and tender, Penguin Bloom is a beautifully written account of how compassion, friendship and family can come from unexpected places.

1911: Sydney, Australia. From the moment the tumours appeared on her face, Maggie Bright knew she would never live a normal life. Abandoned by her mother and then given away by her father, she spent her childhood learning to become the 'Lagoon Creature': part acrobat, part clown, part circus hand. It's not a bad life -Rafferty Braun, the ringmaster, provides her with an ongoing education, and now, as a young woman, she has the kind of freedom her condition could have easily taken away from her. As much as she tries not to, however, Maggie can't help wishing for more. Charlotte Voigt could not be more different. The talented tightrope walker is a star of the circus, with the entertainment world at her slipper-clad feet. She is also a liar. When an opportunity arises to try on Charlotte's identity for her own, Maggie doesn't hesitate. She wants to know what it feels like to be admired, to be accepted, to be beautiful. And the circus's sudden decision to cross Australia via wagon provides her with the perfect cover. Each new town or remote settlement brings the women closer to understanding one another. Resentments begin to fade, but in their place are secrets that could undo the delicate trust they've built: Maggie, with her alternative life pretending to be the glamorous tightrope walker; Charlotte lying about her background, her family, and the reason she reappeared with the circus after several years' absence. The sawdust road will test their willpower. The truth will determine their futures.

Brief history of Hereford cattle: v. 1, p. 359-375.

This is a true story of cockatoos who try to eat a log house who are defeated by a small dog who defends the home from intruders with the help of a neighbor's dog. Barking is loud and the party is observed by a small family of possums and kookaburras.