Bear and FC Review Julie Zickefoose's New Book, "The Bluebird Effect"

Once Bear knew that I had ordered Julie Zickefoose's new book, "The Bluebird Effect, Uncommon Bonds With Common Birds", he took it upon himself to take the sentinel position, patiently watching for the UPS truck.

He never wavered in his dedication, taking only short Purina One breaks and even shorter Getrdone type walks outside until, finally the big day came.

Loud barks announced the arrival of the UPS truck a full minute before it came into view down the long curvy driveway that leads into PFHQ.

At last ...

Bear carried the package inside, as Labradors are want to do, and I took the package carefully out of his gentle mouth.

He is a bird dog after all and this book is all about ... you got that already didn't you?

At this point, there was a brief moral dilemma.
You see, the book isn't really for me ... it's a gift.

So the question, dear reader, is ... "Is it poor form to pre-read a gift book?"

I mean, suppose I wash my hands, handle each page only by the tiniest bit of corner paper, and gently, oh so gently, flip each page like it was a thin sheet of gold leaf ... if I do all that and leave no evidence that I was there ... is that okay?

Or am I faux pasing ( or in Bear's case four pawing) in a most uncivilized manner?

While Bear and I pondered this gift book dilemma, the book suddenly fell open to one of my favorite birds, one I see everyday at Cedar Key ... the osprey.

Julie's paintbrush captured a scene repeated daily at the osprey nest, atop the school lamppost.
Switch out the freshwater sucker impaled in the osprey's talons with a fat mullet, and it was a dead ringer for our schoolyard ospreys.

We had to investigate further.

Bear and I both decided that since it was a gift book, we would compromise and just read the osprey chapter ... and maybe a few bits of other chapters, but we would NOT, I repeat NOT read the whole thing before it was given to the lucky recipient.

I thought I was pretty competent on the subject of ospreys, having grown up around them and working, often only a few hundred feet from our nesting schoolyard pair.

But no.

Proximity does not equal understanding.

Julie's prose and artwork taught this teacher so much about a bird I thought I knew, and she did it in an entertaining way that makes you want to know more.

I do know teaching and that skill is what makes a good teacher.

Julie is a natural teacher.

Oh, she can hide behind being a musician, author, and artist, but she is clearly 

... a teacher.

When our little covert  book preview was over, we both agreed this book earned a five out of five tail wag rating ... (Bear handled that ).

Of course, what we wanted to do was to sit down and savor the rest of Zick's excellent book, and we will, ... AFTER the giftee has had a chance to read it, enjoy it., and then as she always does, tell me, "You need to read this great book!".

And I will.
I'm just hoping Bear can keep our little secret.


So, if you read a nature blog like Pure Florida, it's probably safe to assume you enjoy nature and reading about it.

If so, you really want this book ... and to help you get it, I'm posting a link to Julie's site.

Just click here to fall under the spell of "The Bluebird Effect".