I received an arc of this title from NetGalley for an honest review. Jemima is an injured blue jay that is taken care of by author Zockefoose, an animal rehabilitator and this is their story. Well written and great for all animal lovers.

This book made me cry.

Zickefoose, a licensed bird rehabilitator and artist, had always wanted to raise a baby blue jay. When one was found, dehydrated and near death, under a tree, Zickefoose and her family (husband Bill, daughter Phoebe, and son Liam) pitch in to save the little mite, who has an infection contracted in the egg. Once little Jemima begins getting well, she becomes a part of the family. The Zickefooses allows Jemima to see birds like herself every day, but pretty much raise her like a tame bird rather than trying to deliberately avoid having her tainted by human contact: she interacts with the kids, teases the family dog, flies around rooms and perches on furniture. In return the family learns how really intelligent a blue jay is. But they always raise her with the intention of freeing her to the wild once she learns how to survive outside.

Life isn't always kind to Jemima: she contracts a second illness about the time she's being prepped for going into the wild, and Zickefoose must figure out how to medicate her without throwing off her timeline. One day she turns up bald! But the days are coming closer when Jemima must migrate or prepare to endure a long Ohio winter.

This is a book filled with love without being sloppily sentimental. The Zickefooses obviously adore Jemima, but want her to live a wild life. They all endure trials before their avian charge is free, including the breaking up of Julie and Bill's marriage. On their journey you will learn much about blue jays (and other birds) and their habits, and how one rehabilitates a wild creature. The e-book version I read was not illustrated, but the book is liberally illustrated with photographs as well as Julie's lovely pieces of artwork that begin each chapter. Recommended for any animal lover, but warning that there are bird deaths/having to put sick birds down in the volume.

This the story of a bluejay named Jemima. Julie Zickefose couldn't say no when a friend called her about a baby bluejay that had fallen, or been pushed from the nest.

Saving Jemima chronicles the almost insurmountable obstacles and amazing rewards of raising a wild creature. Covering the period from Jemima's rescue as a nestling to her complete independence as an adult, this story is not to be missed.

I would highly recommend this title to anyone interested in birding in general, or specifically interested in corvoids.

In the interest of full disclosure, I received a free digital copy of this title to review from Net Galley.

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