A very powerful middle-grade book that deals with some very serious themes. Extremely well written, with parts that will make your heart heavy and ones that make laughter bubble out of you like a fresh mountain spring. You'll find yourself completely entwined in Phoebe's life, and finishing the book is like leaving a good friend behind.

A beautiful tale of learning, discovering, sharing and suffering too. I thought that at times the heroin's way of thinking and analysing her experience was a bit too "adult" (as in an adult trying to make sense of what happened long ago or trying too hard to think like a child). However, I usually switched that feeling off when reading the story and really enjoyed the book. I think it can be read and enjoyed at different levels, whether we are adults or younger ones. A lovely refreshing tale.

Sometimes, you have to stand up for what you believe in, even if it costs you dearly. This is a lesson that 12-year-old Phoebe learns in the book, Phoebe’s Heron.

Phoebe and her family are from Denver. They move to Ridge, Colorado, to live in the mountain air, which a doctor has told them would be good for her mother’s tuberculosis. Phoebe has to leave behind her best friend, Lisbeth.

Life in Ridge is much different than in Denver. Phoebe gradually learns to like the slower pace and small-town life in her new home. She even makes a new friend, Jed, who is a plume hunter. At the turn of the century, bird feathers were all the rage as decorations in women’s hats. Jed and his father hunt birds to supply the demand for feathers of such species as egrets and great blue herons. A millinery, which Lisbeth’s family owns, is a place where women’s hats are made and sold. Her family relies on the trade in bird feathers to keep up with their customers’ demands for fancy hats. Jed really wants to find a great blue heron, since their feathers would fetch a good price.

As an artist, Phoebe spends a lot of time drawing things she sees in nature around her new home. One day, she sees the great blue heron. Should she tell her friend, the plume hunter, or not?

Through this engaging story, the book introduces the history of the Audubon movement, which began in the early 1900’s. At that time, women had not yet been given the right to vote, but they organized teas where they began to make their voices heard. Their efforts eventually resulted in changes to the fashion industry’s demand for bird parts. Today, we know the Audubon Society as a group that works for bird conservation worldwide. This look at the historical beginnings of Audubon, and bird conservation in general, was entertaining and educational.

The story moved along well and the characters were believable. The descriptions of Ridge and the nature around the family’s cabin were richly detailed. Although the tale addresses the subject of bird conservation, it is done in a tasteful manner and is not at all “preachy.” We get introduced to all sides of the issue. Everyone in the story has a stake in the issue of bird conservation: Jed, the hunter; Lisbeth’s family, the hat makers; Phoebe’s mother, the bird lover; Phoebe, the artist; the fashionable women of Denver, and the Audubon women.

There are sad moments, as well as uplifting joyful moments, in this story. It will help the reader see how trends change over time and how, as we learn more about nature, we begin to realize that we can’t just take and take. We need to conserve so that there will be birds left for future generations to admire as well.

Overall, I recommend this book as just a good read, but also as a story with a message that resonates even today when we are facing our own environmental challenges. We all need a bit of Phoebe’s courage, even if it costs something dear.