ON EAGLE COVE

A bird-loving child walks to a lake with Mom and their dog and gets a special view of two eagles and their nest.

In rhyming, first-person verse, the enthusiastic narrator tells about trips to Eagle Cove, a remote area near a nearby lake. In winter, the child sees two large birds in flight grasp each other’s talons and “cartwheel” through the sky: “They chased each other to and fro, / Then parted—quite an aerial show.” One eagle flies up to the nest, and the other grabs a fish from the water with its sharp talons. Two months later, the child returns with Mom. They “climbed a big hill, found a cliff, / Both sat down and wondered if / We’d see into the eagle’s nest.” Indeed, they see a parent eagle feeding two fuzzy gray eaglets—a magical sight, though the illustration on this spread fails to clarify how they can see it, since the perspective is a bit off. Yolen expertly keeps her text within the young child’s fresh observations of nature, inviting readers to share in amazement at the majestic eagle, its habits and life cycle. Dulemba’s illustrations resemble watercolor and pencil, and the mix of close-ups, panoramic views, and varying perspectives keeps interest fresh on each page. Informational backmatter shares photographs and fascinating details about the bald eagle as well as tips on how to see one in real life. Both Mom and child have brown skin and long, straight hair.

A memorable adventure.