Hawk Mother: The Story of a Red-Tailed Hawk Who Hatched Chickens

K-Gr 4—When a bullet forever impairs Sunshine, a beautiful red-tailed hawk, she is cared for in captivity and given a second chance at life. Author and zoologist Hagedorn tells the story of how she adopted this magnificent wild creature, and how she helped Sunshine heal from the terrible injury that eliminated any chance of the hawk surviving in the wild. Though no longer in pain, Sunshine's life in captivity limits her ability to act on natural instincts, the strongest of which are to nest and nurture young. Hagedorn explains, in accessible language, how she was able to help Sunshine become a surrogate mother to two young chickens. While the photographs sometimes lack professional quality, the author makes up for the fuzziness with the book's text. She uses clear language and highlights new terms for readers, who are then able to define those terms using the glossary in the back of the book.