"This volume of stories celebrates the incredible and indelible ways in which birds touch us, intrinsically as well as extrinsically. I hope it will encourage a greater awareness of and appreciation for these remarkable beings and a deep and abiding respect for and nurturing of their presence amongst us." -Ira Rubinoff, PhD, Director Emeritus and Senior Staff Scientist Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute Welcome to the amazing world of birds, birders and bird watching. Birds have what we don't-the enchantment of wings! They lift and break free from the bounds of gravity, soar over lakes, mountains, treetops-a veritable moving feast of fascinating, unpredictable, and breathtaking movement that captures and defies our ability to control it. And we love them, because they represent the untamed wild in ourselves. The writings in this book evoke our deepest connections with birds and allow us to revel in the sense of mystery, magic, and devotion that we all feel for our feathered friends. Open to any page, start reading, and become one of the millions who know that the only piece of equipment you really need to begin birding is a book. Let your journey begin with this one.

Coco was fixated by the clock on the wall. It felt as if the hands barely moved, counting the seconds in minutes and the hours in days. "Biggest point, two more clicks," he murmured under his breath, clicking his beak in unison with the clock. The moment had finally arrived! "Good morning guys!" his voice reverberated through the cavernous rooms of the old wooden house. He was met first with quiet, and then the complaints started... Coco, Pablo, Squeaker, Kiku, and Red are an odd flock of parrots who have been living under one roof with the same family for years. Like any other family, they've grown a little too comfortable and a little tired of each other's company and their mundane daily experiences. Soon, change arrives in a way none of them could have expected. One day, the quirky flock finds their lives taking a turn that leads them on a several day, cross-town adventure. They pick up some new friends along the way, and their sometimes frightening real-world experiences leave them with a newfound appreciation for each other and the human family they've taken for granted. Will things be the same at adventure's end, or will their lives be changed forever? Find out in Tale Feathers, a new novel by Brian Meade, perfect for readers and bird lovers young and old. "Reveals the wonderful chaos of the flock."-Kevin Hils, Bronx Zoo

A wise rabbi uses a pillow full of feathers to teach a gossipy villager a lesson.

Choctaw variant of Aesop's fable, The Tortoise and the Hare, in which Turkey assists Turtle in defeating Rabbit.

Otis Owl and Kia Kingfisher both find mysterious feathers. Who do they belong to? After searching day and night, they each find a feathered friend to help them solve the puzzle. Download the full eBook and explore supporting teaching materials at www.twinkl.com/originals Join Twinkl Book Club to receive printed story books every half-term at www.twinkl.co.uk/book-club (UK only).

As heard on NPR's This American Life “Absorbing . . . Though it's non-fiction, The Feather Thief contains many of the elements of a classic thriller.” —Maureen Corrigan, NPR’s Fresh Air “One of the most peculiar and memorable true-crime books ever.” —Christian Science Monitor A rollicking true-crime adventure and a captivating journey into an underground world of fanatical fly-tiers and plume peddlers, for readers of The Stranger in the Woods, The Lost City of Z, and The Orchid Thief. On a cool June evening in 2009, after performing a concert at London's Royal Academy of Music, twenty-year-old American flautist Edwin Rist boarded a train for a suburban outpost of the British Museum of Natural History. Home to one of the largest ornithological collections in the world, the Tring museum was full of rare bird specimens whose gorgeous feathers were worth staggering amounts of money to the men who shared Edwin's obsession: the Victorian art of salmon fly-tying. Once inside the museum, the champion fly-tier grabbed hundreds of bird skins—some collected 150 years earlier by a contemporary of Darwin's, Alfred Russel Wallace, who'd risked everything to gather them—and escaped into the darkness. Two years later, Kirk Wallace Johnson was waist high in a river in northern New Mexico when his fly-fishing guide told him about the heist. He was soon consumed by the strange case of the feather thief. What would possess a person to steal dead birds? Had Edwin paid the price for his crime? What became of the missing skins? In his search for answers, Johnson was catapulted into a years-long, worldwide investigation. The gripping story of a bizarre and shocking crime, and one man's relentless pursuit of justice, The Feather Thief is also a fascinating exploration of obsession, and man's destructive instinct to harvest the beauty of nature.

All readers interested in storytelling, fairy-tale history, and translation will treasure this beautiful collection.