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That Quail, Robert: The Acclaimed Story of an Abandoned Chick from Cape Cod That Won the Nation's Heart
The acclaimed story of the little bird that won the nation’s heart He’ll never live, the neighbors all said. But Robert, the abandoned quail chick would prove them wrong. Born on a kitchen counter in a house on Cape Cod, raised in a box surrounded by a lamb’s wool duster and a small lamp, Robert’s life began auspiciously.
128 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1966
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January 4, 2019
That Quail Robert
A Bird Like My Cat
I would have never have thought that a quail could have such a personality as this one had. Her name was Robert because they first thought that she was a male quail and then just didn’t change her name when she laid her first egg.
Robert’s life was a true story, one that was in the news back in the early 60s and remained in the news for a few years. Such a charming, fascinating, and at the end, a sad story, but that is usually how it is with all animal stories. No writer can resist writing about the death of a creature, which makes them so hard to wish to read.
The couple who raised her found her little home, an egg, in a nest in their yard after the mother quail had taken her 12 babies into the woods to live. It had not hatched, and the mother is known to not return to her nest after once leaving.
They brought the egg inside without realizing that it actually would hatch, and what a surprise when it had. Now, how would they take care of the little one?
I would have thought that they would have kept Robert outside. No. She became an indoor/outdoor bird, and yet they had little problems with her “bird poo.” She actually did her little duty in areas where she frequently sat, and so they placed towels under her. With that being out of the way, as I imagine that that anyone reading this would immediately have this question come to mind, I shall continue.
When the little quail came out of her little home, the first thing she saw were the couple, and so she bonded with them. She, too, was human. She followed them everywhere, even ate at the table with them, having her toast and orange juice in the mornings. Robert had the run of the house.
She seemed more like a cat to me. She loved to be held and loved to sit on people’s laps and on their shoulders. She was even talkative, just like one of my own cats, I thought, who somehow knows that I don’t see well, and so when it is dark, she cries when I get near her. “Don’t step on me, she seems to say. I am right here.”
When first taken outside Robert was afraid, not so much of four legged animals, but of birds flying overhead or by just seeing them in the garden. This is a natural fear since hawks and other birds of prey could catch her. Still, afraid of small birds?
When checking out the grass for the first time she began running around, pecking and eating bugs. When seeing snow for the first time she was afraid of it and ran back into the house. Then she wanted outside again, and so she explored the snowy ground. But she was never left alone outside for that would leave her unprotected.
I thought back to how we had taken our young dog to the ocean for the first time, and I wanted to see how she reacted to it. She didn’t react at all, not even to her first snow. That was disappointing to me, but at least Robert didn’t disappoint. She knew something was different.
Robert didn’t like to be alone period. If left alone she would scream until someone came for her. She slept on top of a shelf in their bedroom, on a little hat that she had found. But she kept falling off, once, hurting her head. Somehow, they managed to fix the problem.
I thought of how our cat has recently taken up sleeping on the back of my husband’s chair when he is in it, and now, even when he isn’t, and when she falls to sleep she falls off, but she gets right back up again. Just like Robert. Now our cat has taken to sleeping in my husband’s lap, and he really doesn’t want her there, but he has accepted her presence. I told him, “Give her time, she will soon find another place to sleep.
I also thought it interesting how Robert loved having human house guests. She would run up to them and inspect their shoes. She always inspected shoes. One of my own cats runs out the door and won’t return until our house guests have left.
In regards to the phone man, Robert flew onto his shoulder as soon as he picked up the phone to call his office, and she began talking and talking. She loved phones, and when one rang she would squawk until someone answered it.
She didn’t like things moved around the house, and if something wasn’t in its rightful place, she would squawk until it was righted. That would drive me nuts. Anyway, an upturned rug would bother her, as would the couch being moved, or a bottle on a dresser misplaced. Now, that seemed to be strange behavior. What was going on in her mind?
And so the story goes on, and Robert continued to charm me. They caused me to desire to read The Genius of \Birds.
I once saw a crow fly down to a garbage can and come up with a MacDonald’s hamburger box, and then it flew to a telephone wire where it used one of his claws to open the lid and then devoured the food inside. But the crow did no place the box back into the garbage can. How smart is that? Not so much.
There is just so much I don’t know about birds. We feed them, and that tells us very little. We do know that in the winter the starlings come to visit and eat all the remaining cat food that sits out on the stump where we feed our 4 feral cats. My husband used to scare them away, but then one day I said, “I think they are really hungry in the winter,” so he gave up. It was a useless activity anyway.
And I think of how I learned to love starlings when we lived in the country because they would get in the trees during foggy mornings and make such a racket that it reminded me of being in the jungles in Mexico.
And then when the story came to an end I shed a few tears.
A Bird Like My Cat
I would have never have thought that a quail could have such a personality as this one had. Her name was Robert because they first thought that she was a male quail and then just didn’t change her name when she laid her first egg.
Robert’s life was a true story, one that was in the news back in the early 60s and remained in the news for a few years. Such a charming, fascinating, and at the end, a sad story, but that is usually how it is with all animal stories. No writer can resist writing about the death of a creature, which makes them so hard to wish to read.
The couple who raised her found her little home, an egg, in a nest in their yard after the mother quail had taken her 12 babies into the woods to live. It had not hatched, and the mother is known to not return to her nest after once leaving.
They brought the egg inside without realizing that it actually would hatch, and what a surprise when it had. Now, how would they take care of the little one?
I would have thought that they would have kept Robert outside. No. She became an indoor/outdoor bird, and yet they had little problems with her “bird poo.” She actually did her little duty in areas where she frequently sat, and so they placed towels under her. With that being out of the way, as I imagine that that anyone reading this would immediately have this question come to mind, I shall continue.
When the little quail came out of her little home, the first thing she saw were the couple, and so she bonded with them. She, too, was human. She followed them everywhere, even ate at the table with them, having her toast and orange juice in the mornings. Robert had the run of the house.
She seemed more like a cat to me. She loved to be held and loved to sit on people’s laps and on their shoulders. She was even talkative, just like one of my own cats, I thought, who somehow knows that I don’t see well, and so when it is dark, she cries when I get near her. “Don’t step on me, she seems to say. I am right here.”
When first taken outside Robert was afraid, not so much of four legged animals, but of birds flying overhead or by just seeing them in the garden. This is a natural fear since hawks and other birds of prey could catch her. Still, afraid of small birds?
When checking out the grass for the first time she began running around, pecking and eating bugs. When seeing snow for the first time she was afraid of it and ran back into the house. Then she wanted outside again, and so she explored the snowy ground. But she was never left alone outside for that would leave her unprotected.
I thought back to how we had taken our young dog to the ocean for the first time, and I wanted to see how she reacted to it. She didn’t react at all, not even to her first snow. That was disappointing to me, but at least Robert didn’t disappoint. She knew something was different.
Robert didn’t like to be alone period. If left alone she would scream until someone came for her. She slept on top of a shelf in their bedroom, on a little hat that she had found. But she kept falling off, once, hurting her head. Somehow, they managed to fix the problem.
I thought of how our cat has recently taken up sleeping on the back of my husband’s chair when he is in it, and now, even when he isn’t, and when she falls to sleep she falls off, but she gets right back up again. Just like Robert. Now our cat has taken to sleeping in my husband’s lap, and he really doesn’t want her there, but he has accepted her presence. I told him, “Give her time, she will soon find another place to sleep.
I also thought it interesting how Robert loved having human house guests. She would run up to them and inspect their shoes. She always inspected shoes. One of my own cats runs out the door and won’t return until our house guests have left.
In regards to the phone man, Robert flew onto his shoulder as soon as he picked up the phone to call his office, and she began talking and talking. She loved phones, and when one rang she would squawk until someone answered it.
She didn’t like things moved around the house, and if something wasn’t in its rightful place, she would squawk until it was righted. That would drive me nuts. Anyway, an upturned rug would bother her, as would the couch being moved, or a bottle on a dresser misplaced. Now, that seemed to be strange behavior. What was going on in her mind?
And so the story goes on, and Robert continued to charm me. They caused me to desire to read The Genius of \Birds.
I once saw a crow fly down to a garbage can and come up with a MacDonald’s hamburger box, and then it flew to a telephone wire where it used one of his claws to open the lid and then devoured the food inside. But the crow did no place the box back into the garbage can. How smart is that? Not so much.
There is just so much I don’t know about birds. We feed them, and that tells us very little. We do know that in the winter the starlings come to visit and eat all the remaining cat food that sits out on the stump where we feed our 4 feral cats. My husband used to scare them away, but then one day I said, “I think they are really hungry in the winter,” so he gave up. It was a useless activity anyway.
And I think of how I learned to love starlings when we lived in the country because they would get in the trees during foggy mornings and make such a racket that it reminded me of being in the jungles in Mexico.
And then when the story came to an end I shed a few tears.
June 2, 2023
A sweet little book perfect for my bedtime reading. An abandoned Quail egg hatches on a Cape Cod couple's kitchen counter and becomes a beloved family pet. True story that got a lot of national attention in 1965.
April 12, 2016
I do love reading animal stories, especially true accounts of real pets such as Robert, the quail. I've been hesitant to read this wonderful book since I was aware that quail don't have a long life span and it would probably be horribly painful to read of Robert's demise. But overall, this is an upbeat, joyous book that doesn't dwell upon the negative. I fell head over heels in love with Robert the quail.
A retired New England couple notice that a quail has built a nest in their large back yard and from a respectful distance they keep watch.
After the baby quail are hatched and the mother has led them away to safety they decide to investigate the nest.
2 eggs had failed to hatch and they bring them into their home for decorative purposes. After laying the eggs on the kitchen counter they are shocked to see a late arrival pecking his way out of the shell.
What to do? The mother quail won't be returning to the nest and would never accept the chick even if she did return to her old nest.
So begins the delightful story of Robert the quail as he takes over the household and becomes a local star during the early 1960's. As his fame grew his human mother was even interviewed on the NBC Today Show. The bright studio lights would've dehydrated and killed Robert in a few minutes or else the lovable quail would've made an appearance as well.
This is a must read book for all animal lovers and/or anyone that needs to have their spirits lifted.
https://www.bing.com/images/search?q=...
A retired New England couple notice that a quail has built a nest in their large back yard and from a respectful distance they keep watch.
After the baby quail are hatched and the mother has led them away to safety they decide to investigate the nest.
2 eggs had failed to hatch and they bring them into their home for decorative purposes. After laying the eggs on the kitchen counter they are shocked to see a late arrival pecking his way out of the shell.
What to do? The mother quail won't be returning to the nest and would never accept the chick even if she did return to her old nest.
So begins the delightful story of Robert the quail as he takes over the household and becomes a local star during the early 1960's. As his fame grew his human mother was even interviewed on the NBC Today Show. The bright studio lights would've dehydrated and killed Robert in a few minutes or else the lovable quail would've made an appearance as well.
This is a must read book for all animal lovers and/or anyone that needs to have their spirits lifted.
https://www.bing.com/images/search?q=...
April 27, 2022
What a dear precious book! I don't remember how I came to add this to my TBR list, but so glad I did and finally checked it out on an interlibrary loan. It is an amazing story and almost unbelievable in how close Robert lived with his human family; but it was well documented in the media during the 60's. There was a mention of Gladys Taber and that's when it hit me where I had come across the authors name before, she'd seemed so familiar, I believe they were friends and Cape Cod neighbors. I want to buy a personal copy of this book to have on my shelves for a time when I'm sick in bed and need a comforting read that doesn't require much concentration or sometime when I just want a short and sweet book, perfect!
February 20, 2014
This is a sweet story and one that can be enjoyed by all members of a family. The narrative of the birth and upbringing of this personable little quail reminds us that, contrary to everything we believe, humans are not the center of the universe. There are other creatures who have as much empathy and love as we do, perhaps more.
Abandoned by its mother, Robert (who is a she) is rescued by a couple with a big heart and they are rewarded with a bird who creates her own guidelines and preferences, from sleeping to eating to hugging. The narrative is simple, written without ego, and the reader is able to learn the story of this extraordinary bird. A bird which is first described as a "wet bumblebee" upon leaving its eggshell.
Her manners were exemplary, and since she was accustomed to being offered tidbits, she had never presumed to take anything from a general serving dish.
The book is loaded with a multitude of stories about this captivating bird. For example, Robert enjoyed teatime and the sociable atmosphere it provided for discovering new visitors, although she had a great aversion to people who wore red shoes. The author was the neighbour of the owners, but she quickly became Robert's beloved babysitter and our connection to the people-loving bird.
I glow when I think of the impact these five ounces of bird life made, and how many lives she enriched, to say nothing of her fame.
Book Season = Spring (feed the birds)
Abandoned by its mother, Robert (who is a she) is rescued by a couple with a big heart and they are rewarded with a bird who creates her own guidelines and preferences, from sleeping to eating to hugging. The narrative is simple, written without ego, and the reader is able to learn the story of this extraordinary bird. A bird which is first described as a "wet bumblebee" upon leaving its eggshell.
Her manners were exemplary, and since she was accustomed to being offered tidbits, she had never presumed to take anything from a general serving dish.
The book is loaded with a multitude of stories about this captivating bird. For example, Robert enjoyed teatime and the sociable atmosphere it provided for discovering new visitors, although she had a great aversion to people who wore red shoes. The author was the neighbour of the owners, but she quickly became Robert's beloved babysitter and our connection to the people-loving bird.
I glow when I think of the impact these five ounces of bird life made, and how many lives she enriched, to say nothing of her fame.
Book Season = Spring (feed the birds)
July 7, 2023
3.5. A gentle, charming little book published in 1965. The author’s friends bring inside an egg inadvertently left behind by a mother quail in moving her brood. The egg hatches and becomes Robert, five ounces full of personality who is doted upon by the retired doctor, his wife, and seemingly hundreds of visitors. There is much of Robert’s little quirks - sleeping in a hat, ducking in fear whenever other birds fly overhead, snuggling up to beloved humans. The author inveigles herself happily to care for Robert while her friends are on a trip to Europe, and also appears on a TV program to speak about him: I was less interested in Robert’s fame than in Robert, but it was all a quaint and pleasant mild diversion that led me to Google interesting things about quails.
August 1, 2011
I needed to reconnect with my quail-loving self after they nibbled my spaghetti squash plant to death.
April 22, 2025
A delightful little book!
November 30, 2019
That Quail, Robert is a warm, sweet tale of a retired couple and their three and half years with Robert. Robert's antics are the fun little stories that you would not think a bird capable of. At Christmas, Mrs Kienzle found a nest, guilded it and placed it in the tree. Robert found it and enjoyed the nest and gave up the red velvet hat for a spell. Her singing, cooing and announcing of the telephone reminded me of any other child needing attention. Avairy experts did not think it would last. The instincts of the Quail would pull Robert away, she would have none of that. Robert had free reign of the home and had no desire not to be with her family and friends. Her personality is the story, Robert was well loved and loved back by all that met her.
As a child growing up in Madison County, my Father rescued a pheasant that was frozen and iced over during the storm in 78 and also a pigeon that had an injury to it's wing. He let them stay in the house until they healed but they were nothing like Robert.
As a child growing up in Madison County, my Father rescued a pheasant that was frozen and iced over during the storm in 78 and also a pigeon that had an injury to it's wing. He let them stay in the house until they healed but they were nothing like Robert.
October 25, 2023
A heartwarming true story of a couple who found a quail egg on their property and soon became the parents of Robert, a bird who bonded with them and ended up taking over their home and hearts. Funny, charming and sad, this book reminded me of my brother's pet pigeon, Junior, a little bird he found who couldn't fly. Junior thought Jay was his mother and like Robert became a member of the family. Also like Robert, Junior laid an egg. At that point Junior was renamed Junior Marie. My brother and I both loved this book; it's well worth re-reading.
May 16, 2013
"Five Ounces of Fluff--a Ton of PERSONality!"
Who would have thought that from an abandoned quail's egg so much personality and affection would hatch out? Yet that is precisely what happened on Cape Cod back in 1962, as chronicled with love and honesty by the author. What happens when the human world becomes a substitute for Nature? Is the orphaned wild creature better off with its own kind, or with an adoptive family of a different species? Readers must judge for themselves in this charming tale about a delightful female quail, misnamed Robert.
Written with humor and pathos by an observant neighbor, who became Robert's Aunt and long term hostess, this slim volume is a gem about surprising family adjustments. Human emotions seem to have rubbed off on this impressionable birdling, who rapidly becomes a member of the family--even to requiring babysitters. You will chuckle and weep over her antics and trials. How human can a bird get? Once you spend some quality time with personable and endearing Robert, you will know the truth for yourself!
(May 11, 2011. I welcome dialgoue with teachers.)
Who would have thought that from an abandoned quail's egg so much personality and affection would hatch out? Yet that is precisely what happened on Cape Cod back in 1962, as chronicled with love and honesty by the author. What happens when the human world becomes a substitute for Nature? Is the orphaned wild creature better off with its own kind, or with an adoptive family of a different species? Readers must judge for themselves in this charming tale about a delightful female quail, misnamed Robert.
Written with humor and pathos by an observant neighbor, who became Robert's Aunt and long term hostess, this slim volume is a gem about surprising family adjustments. Human emotions seem to have rubbed off on this impressionable birdling, who rapidly becomes a member of the family--even to requiring babysitters. You will chuckle and weep over her antics and trials. How human can a bird get? Once you spend some quality time with personable and endearing Robert, you will know the truth for yourself!
(May 11, 2011. I welcome dialgoue with teachers.)
June 3, 2014
This is first-hand insight about a retired couple in Orleans, Cape Code (Massachusetts, USA). These memoirs were lovingly recorded by Margaret A. Stanger. She babysat ‘Robert’, fielded inquiries, and appeared on television. Tommy & Mildred Kienzle, cherishing wildlife, chose country woods over beachfront property. The doctor observed Robert’s Mother nesting in June. On July 10, 1962 he saw the Mother and Father leading twelve fluffy siblings from their driveway. Hearing that abandoned nests aren’t revisited, they checked the next day and found one cracked egg; which to my puzzlement, they didn’t bring inside with them. A closed egg that they kept warm, was Robert’s.
Her three years were vibrant and full. She attracted a guestbook of international callers, all welcomed, and taught about sentience and emotions being irrelevant to species. Hunters who met her left quails alone. The context Margaret astutely explains is that: people weren’t family-oriented towards even household pets, where she was from in the farmed mid-west. The north-eastern United States in the 1960s, was beginning to regard animals as we do in 2014. This book’s release made a splash in 1966. I’ve at last enjoyed their story, a few years after spotting my copy.
It doesn’t overdo heartstrings. We absorb everything peacefully. I wouldn’t call Margaret a poet; some stylistic traits were repetitive. However I love that this is straightforwardly told and applaud how carefully details were imparted. She broached numerous misconceptions already encountered and staved off others. For instance it was corrected firmly that Robert was not born in captivity but free to go outside and even leave to pursue a mate. She released in total fourteen unfertilized eggs and chose to stay with the Kienzles. Cathy Baldwin, the illustrator, was another dear neighbour. I feel happy about acquainting this endearing group of people and animals.
Her three years were vibrant and full. She attracted a guestbook of international callers, all welcomed, and taught about sentience and emotions being irrelevant to species. Hunters who met her left quails alone. The context Margaret astutely explains is that: people weren’t family-oriented towards even household pets, where she was from in the farmed mid-west. The north-eastern United States in the 1960s, was beginning to regard animals as we do in 2014. This book’s release made a splash in 1966. I’ve at last enjoyed their story, a few years after spotting my copy.
It doesn’t overdo heartstrings. We absorb everything peacefully. I wouldn’t call Margaret a poet; some stylistic traits were repetitive. However I love that this is straightforwardly told and applaud how carefully details were imparted. She broached numerous misconceptions already encountered and staved off others. For instance it was corrected firmly that Robert was not born in captivity but free to go outside and even leave to pursue a mate. She released in total fourteen unfertilized eggs and chose to stay with the Kienzles. Cathy Baldwin, the illustrator, was another dear neighbour. I feel happy about acquainting this endearing group of people and animals.
June 2, 2022
I was born in New England and didn't move west until I was in my 40s yet I never saw a quail, despite living in farm country. In the east we called them Bobwhites. Now I live in the high desert of southern Idaho and California quail are everywhere and are they CUTE! Unfortunately suburban sprawl is forcing them farther and farther away from us. Robert was amazing. This is a very well written TRUE story of a real bird and his adoring human parents and many admirers. Recommended to all animal lovers.
March 23, 2019
Such a darling book- Written in the late 60s it hearkens back to what seems like a simpler time. A couple rescues and raises a quail with an oversize personality and charisma to spare. The book I borrowed was a slender volume with thick heavy yellowed pages and even smelled old. #readrealbooks Hand drawn illustrations add to the charm of the reading experience. I enjoyed this very much!
February 17, 2025
That Quail, Robert by Margaret A. Stanger (1966), 127 pages.
This is an adorable true story of Robert, a female bobwhite quail hatched from a deserted egg found in a nest in Orleans, Cape Cod, Massachusetts. They did try to let it loose into the wild when old enough, but Robert just came back to the house and was designated a family pet. They believed Robert to be a male until it finally dropped an egg after a year.
Who knew quails could be domesticated. Evidently, in 1966, there were a few domesticated quails throughout the U.S., each with their own personalities.
Every morning Robert would race to the bathroom to drop exactly two rounds on tissue paper which had been put down on the bathroom floor. And during the day, she dropped dry pebbles down in one specific area of the house where they would put a crochet doily and give it daily shakes into the garbage.
Robert had many characteristics as any pet would. When she wanted to play chase around the house, she would grab a piece of lettuce and back up to the owner’s feet and touch them repeatedly with her tail feather. The owner would say, “I’m gonna get you! I’m gonna get you!” Then, the chase was on. All around the house they would run for about five minutes. When Robert had enough, she would stop and swallow the lettuce. Game over.
There are so many cute things about Robert. This was such a fun little read into the insights of taking care of a domesticated quail and overcoming some crisis as well.
This is an adorable true story of Robert, a female bobwhite quail hatched from a deserted egg found in a nest in Orleans, Cape Cod, Massachusetts. They did try to let it loose into the wild when old enough, but Robert just came back to the house and was designated a family pet. They believed Robert to be a male until it finally dropped an egg after a year.
Who knew quails could be domesticated. Evidently, in 1966, there were a few domesticated quails throughout the U.S., each with their own personalities.
Every morning Robert would race to the bathroom to drop exactly two rounds on tissue paper which had been put down on the bathroom floor. And during the day, she dropped dry pebbles down in one specific area of the house where they would put a crochet doily and give it daily shakes into the garbage.
Robert had many characteristics as any pet would. When she wanted to play chase around the house, she would grab a piece of lettuce and back up to the owner’s feet and touch them repeatedly with her tail feather. The owner would say, “I’m gonna get you! I’m gonna get you!” Then, the chase was on. All around the house they would run for about five minutes. When Robert had enough, she would stop and swallow the lettuce. Game over.
There are so many cute things about Robert. This was such a fun little read into the insights of taking care of a domesticated quail and overcoming some crisis as well.
July 9, 2021
I have never seen a quail in my life. But Robert is one quail I wish I had met. This is a beautiful beautiful book about a lovely quail with the most lovable personality.
Sweet, short, and utterly heartwarming (Sorry Jae, I can’t get this word out of my head!). These are the kind of books that make us believe in a better world. Robert taught me to be unapologetically myself. Not in a boorish, ‘I don’t care about the world’ millennial way. But that we can just lean into the softest part of our hearts and be open to love and be loved.
Sweet, short, and utterly heartwarming (Sorry Jae, I can’t get this word out of my head!). These are the kind of books that make us believe in a better world. Robert taught me to be unapologetically myself. Not in a boorish, ‘I don’t care about the world’ millennial way. But that we can just lean into the softest part of our hearts and be open to love and be loved.
May 7, 2016
Oh, Robert, your story brought me lots of smiles and warm fuzzies. Great story for any animal lovers out there!
March 23, 2019
This sweet little book is such a charmer! It tells the story of a quail that hatched from an egg found in an abandoned nest. After the egg was brought into the house and placed on a kitchen counter under a boudoir lamp, voila! A couple of days later out hatched a perfect baby quail. Robert was so named because it was believed she was a male ... right up until she laid an egg. Ha!
How Robert loved people. She was friendly and greeted visitors with a glad cry. She not only had glad cries, however, but she had also alarmed cries and made little sleepy sounds when she was tired. She loved attention and she loved to snuggle. Robert also loved to drink V8 juice. (Um, no. Just no.)
As interesting as it was reading about Robert, it was also interesting to take a step back in time and read about things like keeping rooms, and of women who put on dresses the moment they woke up in the morning, snort.
I'm so glad you found this book for us to read, Perri!!
How Robert loved people. She was friendly and greeted visitors with a glad cry. She not only had glad cries, however, but she had also alarmed cries and made little sleepy sounds when she was tired. She loved attention and she loved to snuggle. Robert also loved to drink V8 juice. (Um, no. Just no.)
As interesting as it was reading about Robert, it was also interesting to take a step back in time and read about things like keeping rooms, and of women who put on dresses the moment they woke up in the morning, snort.
I'm so glad you found this book for us to read, Perri!!
August 6, 2024
A short book written in the mid-60's about a quail that became a pet. An abandoned quail egg hatched and the family attempted to send the quail back into the wild, but it was having none of it. They named the quail Robert and this book is about how its habits and human loving nature impressed many people.
At the time the news of Robert was spread about, made its way into newspapers and even a stint on a network channel. Robert had many visitors, people who loved animals, those of disbelief until they saw the quail, and all other sorts.
The author was not the family parents, instead a friend and nearby neighbor. An occasion came up where the family was going to Europe for several months to attend their son’s wedding, taking a steamer across the pond. They couldn’t take Robert, not leave the bird alone, so the author became the next home of Robert’s. Even during these three months the visitors kept coming.
The book relates Robert’s daily habits and preferences and those times of illness or troubles, rare as they were.
It is an adoring book. I used to live where there were coveys of quail around my yard all the time. I miss seeing them and this book helped fill that small hole, albeit temporarily.
At the time the news of Robert was spread about, made its way into newspapers and even a stint on a network channel. Robert had many visitors, people who loved animals, those of disbelief until they saw the quail, and all other sorts.
The author was not the family parents, instead a friend and nearby neighbor. An occasion came up where the family was going to Europe for several months to attend their son’s wedding, taking a steamer across the pond. They couldn’t take Robert, not leave the bird alone, so the author became the next home of Robert’s. Even during these three months the visitors kept coming.
The book relates Robert’s daily habits and preferences and those times of illness or troubles, rare as they were.
It is an adoring book. I used to live where there were coveys of quail around my yard all the time. I miss seeing them and this book helped fill that small hole, albeit temporarily.
July 11, 2012
My mother and I both read this book not long after it was published in 1966 and we both loved it. After just having read it again, I sill love it. What a wonderful fun and loving story. Robert was a quail (a bobwhite) that hatched from an egg that the "adoptive parents" found after the quail mother had left with the other 8 or 10 chicks that had already hatched. The humans were surprised when their egg hatched. What a very special bird Robert was! Robert became as famous in the 1960s as the library cat (Dewey Readmore) became 40 or so years later, and just as endearing.
March 14, 2022
Damn it, why do I insist on reading animal stories? 😢
I read this one as a kid, but decided to reread it now, even though I couldn’t remember if it had a sad ending or not. It does, but it is still such a wonderful true story of a little orphaned quail who is taken in by a family, and brings light and joy to so many people in this world. I love this book so much, but the last chapter WILL break your heart.
I read this one as a kid, but decided to reread it now, even though I couldn’t remember if it had a sad ending or not. It does, but it is still such a wonderful true story of a little orphaned quail who is taken in by a family, and brings light and joy to so many people in this world. I love this book so much, but the last chapter WILL break your heart.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
November 19, 2018
A tiny bird with a sweet personality charmed thousands and became famous for a brief number of years in the early 1960s. Little to no photographic evidence exists online.
December 9, 2012
A very simplistic memoir of the quirks of an unusual family friend. Robert the quail has a very large personality, which is odd as quail are normally very reclusive and shy birds. I think it is the mystery of the quail that makes this such a fun book to read.
Very quick read, the language is easy and pleasant, the chapters are well laid out and nothing ends with cliffhangers, and the actual page count is quite small. And of course, Robert herself is a very amusing little character!
Really a good bedtime book for a parent to read to a child.
Very quick read, the language is easy and pleasant, the chapters are well laid out and nothing ends with cliffhangers, and the actual page count is quite small. And of course, Robert herself is a very amusing little character!
Really a good bedtime book for a parent to read to a child.
February 18, 2015
Short yet charming biography of an abandoned wild quail who was rescued by people and came to like living with them. This is an odd thing to say about a bird, but Robert really had a delightful personality. The part about the broccoli tantrum made me laugh out loud.
May 5, 2009
This was a sweet story and probably the reason I have quail now. There is a button quail at the pet shop near my home that chooses guinea pigs for companions. These little animals are too cute!
November 5, 2013
I loved it! Very different. If you're an animal lover give it a try.
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January 12, 2015this lady was really into the quail
September 28, 2024
4.5 stars
June 24, 2023
What a sweet little book. I'm so glad, after seeing someone's review on this site, I decided to read this one. For about the last year I have ventured out of my comfort zone with reading books like The Time Machine (H.G. Wells) and now this...a book about a quail. Who would have known I could be so enthralled with a little bird. Makes me miss my brother so much more. He, at one time, was raising quails. He really enjoyed taking us to show how he housed them and fed them. I wish I had known about this book while he was alive. I think he would have loved it. I miss you Ronnie every single day!
August 7, 2023
Completely delightful.
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