written and illustrated by Marikay Shellman
Every year, a Great Horned Owl named Gulliver sits on her eggs in her nest at the Wild Bird Center. Without a mate, though, her eggs never hatch. But one day, Gulliver’s caretaker received a phone call that two owl eggs were found without a mama to care for them. In a flash, Gulliver’s eggs are switched with the live eggs. Gulliver continued her daily routine of sitting on the eggs until one day…peck, peep. Out popped two owlets. Gulliver is a mama! The next 11 weeks were a flurry of activity, as Gulliver and her owlets experienced a new life together.
In the children’s hardback Gulliver’s Babies, kids and adults alike will enjoy following the journey of the Great Horned Owl Gulliver as she becomes a foster mama to two owlets who were rescued from the wild. The educational, fascinating story is not only beautiful but true. Gulliver, who lives at the Avian Reconditioning Center in Florida, suffered a broken wing in 1986 but, after recovering at the ARC, could no longer live in the wild. She since raised more than 250 owlets.
Author and illustrator Marikay Shellman, whose sister Carol is caretaker and founder of ARC, has resided in southwestern Colorado for nearly 45 years. Purchase Gulliver’s Babies via Marikay’s studio website at magpieacresstudio.com and at select retailers in Durango: Maria’s Bookshop, White Rabbit Books & Curiosities, Dietz Market and the Durango Arts Center. A portion of the sales will be donated to ARC.