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Wesley the Owl: The Remarkable Love Story of an Owl and His Girl by: Stacey O'Brien
List Price: $23.00Amazon.com's Price: $15.64 You Save: $7.36 (32%)Prices subject to change.
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Binding: Hardcover
Dewey Decimal Number: 598.97
EAN: 9781416551737
ISBN: 1416551735
Label: Free Press
Manufacturer: Free Press
Number Of Items: 1
Number Of Pages: 240
Publication Date: August 19, 2008
Publisher: Free Press
Studio: Free Press
Sales Rank: 559
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Editorial Review:
Product Description:
On Valentine's Day 1985, biologist Stacey O'Brien first met a four-day-old baby barn owl -- a fateful encounter that would turn into an astonishing 19-year saga. With nerve damage in one wing, the owlet's ability to fly was forever compromised, and he had no hope of surviving on his own in the wild. O'Brien, a young assistant in the owl laboratory at Caltech, was immediately smitten, promising to care for the helpless owlet and give him a permanent home. Wesley the Owl is the funny, poignant story of their dramatic two decades together.
With both a tender heart and a scientist's eye, O'Brien studied Wesley's strange habits intensively and first-hand -- and provided a mice-only diet that required her to buy the rodents in bulk (28,000 over the owl's lifetime). As Wesley grew, she snapped photos of him at every stage like any proud parent, recording his life from a helpless ball of fuzz to a playful, clumsy adolescent to a gorgeous, gold-and-white, macho adult owl with a heart-shaped face and an outsize personality that belied his 18-inch stature. Stacey and Wesley's bond deepened as she discovered Wesley's individual personality, subtle emotions, and playful nature that could also turn fiercely loyal and protective -- though she could have done without Wesley's driving away her would-be human suitors!
O'Brien also brings us inside the prestigious research community, a kind of scientific Hogwarts where resident owls sometimes flew freely from office to office and eccentric, brilliant scientists were extraordinarily committed to studying and helping animals; all of them were changed by the animal they loved. As O'Brien gets close to Wesley, she makes important discoveries about owl behavior, intelligence, and communication, coining the term "The Way of the Owl" to describe his inclinations: he did not tolerate lies, held her to her promises, and provided unconditional love, though he was not beyond an occasional sulk. When O'Brien develops her own life-threatening illness, the biologist who saved the life of a helpless baby bird is herself rescued from death by the insistent love and courage of this wild animal.
Enhanced by wonderful photos, Wesley the Owl is a thoroughly engaging, heartwarming, often funny story of a complex, emotional, non-human being capable of reason, play, and, most important, love and loyalty. It is sure to be cherished by animal lovers everywhere.
Average Rating: 
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With nearly eighty reviews at the time I write this, there probably isn't much more stellar insight that I can give, which hasn't already been given so much more eloquently. However, I will add my voice to the growing collection in appreciation for the amazing story and for the brave author. This book, for me, was one of my "on a whim" buys. I was poking around for information about owls one night, and the book popped up in the particular search that I was doing. The cover appealed to me, the "Look ... Read More
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As someone who has worked for the education department of a zoo and has had the opportunity to work closely with owls myself, I could not wait to read this book. While I did get to spend some time with these animals up close, the in depth every day experiences over the course of nineteen years described in this book really enhanced my appreciation of them even more. An amazing story. Read it!!
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This story about a baby barn owl that gets raised by a loving human is so cute!!! I couldn't put it down and read it in 2 days. It is a super cute quick read.
For those that have a queasy stomach you may want to think twice as there is some stories that involve some, well, not so pleasant stories of feeding the bird.
Funny, sweet and very cute!!!!
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I love this book. You can't help but love Wesley. He is completely amazing. I couldn't put it down. There are also amazing life lessons about animals and how to relate to them which makes you rethink how to relate to animals... and people. This is one of the most amazing relationships I've heard of between two souls.
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This is a great book. I have it on my Kindle, but had to buy a hardback copy to give to my daughter for Christmas. It makes you stop and think. If this one owl could have such a personality then every black bird you see in those flocks of thousands also has just as rich a personality. Every deer in the forest, every rabbit in your yard. Every mouse in your attic. Thought provoking. A true love story.
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