Arnie: The Darling Starling

Arnie #1

by Margarete Sigl Corbo

This true story of a talking starling and the grandmother who raised him is as heartwarming a book as you will ever read - a new classic in the tradition of Rascal, Born Free, and That Quail, Robert.

When Margarete first came upon Arnie, he was just a familiar springtime sight: a baby bird lying helpless in the daisy patch. After unsucessfully trying to return him to the nest, she took him into her Texas home and raised him as carefully as she had raised her own child, teaching him to perch, to fly, even to talk. Arnie resisted all attempts to restore him to the wild, preferring steak and canned corn to worms, which frightened him, and even developing a taste for wine.

Most astonishing of all, he learned to talk and sing, and he had a remarkable influence on a number of lives. Lenny, the young drug addict, paused on the road to self-destruction, so enthralled by Arnie that he carried a dog-eared picture of him in his wallet. Suzanne, the Vietnamese refugee, learned from Arnie that wrong home can be a prison and fled to Colorado to start a new life. Margarete's grandson, Travis, who called Arnie "Superbird," gained a new respect for wild creatures, and even her three cats came to love Arnie as one of their own.

Arnie is full of life, laughter, and love. It is a completely irresistable book.

Genres: Nonfiction, Birds, Nature, Animals, Memoir, Biography Memoir, Science Nature

240 pages, Paperback

First published November 1, 1983

About the author

Born in Munich, Margarete Sigl Corbo came to the United States as a bride after World War II. She has served in the Peace Corps; been a student advisor at a college; owned a pet clinic; and raised a daughter, several dogs, numerous cats, and a large assortment of birds - including, of course, Arnie.

Reviews

[Sarah Marshall · Rating 5 out of 5]

Absolutely delightful story about a little bird that stole everyone hearts. He kept us laughing and coming back for more. But what really blew me away was the Stunning Vocabulary in this book! I’m not sure I would have noticed if I was reading it to myself but to read it aloud was an experience I won’t soon forget. Best book, vocabulary wise I’ve read all year.. if not ever!

[Stephanie A. · Rating 4 out of 5]

Although I don't normally have any particular fondness for pet birds, the sequel to this memoir was so, well, darling that as soon as I finished it, I put in an interlibrary loan request for this one because I NEEDED more stories about the author and her pets. I definitely still prefer the sequel, where both the setting and the people she meets better captured my attention, but the animals are no less wonderful to read about here. I definitely recommend reading them both in the proper order.

[Katherine · Rating 5 out of 5]

4.5 stars

[Howard Xu · Rating 5 out of 5]

oh god. the nostalgia. I loved this book so much

[Elizabeth · Rating 5 out of 5]

A very sweet and heartwarming read💜

[Jan Paha · Rating 5 out of 5]

Heartwarming ❤

[Pam MacLeod · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fans of author, Gladys Taber, would enjoy this book. If I am remembering correctly, Gladys mentioned this book at some point. She and Arnie’s authors were all Cape Cod residents. It is a true tale of a sweet starling who talked and sang his way into the hearts of all who knew or read about him.

[Eva Tipps · Rating 5 out of 5]

Raced through this heartfelt story of the bond between a starling and Margarete. the lady who rescued him when he fell from his nest. She fully intended to release him back to the wild when he was ready, but Arnie apparently had other plans. I love learning things from my reading. For example, I did not know that starlings are capable of speech, and even more impressively, Arnie used it appropriately too, saying "Good morning. Hi! Hi! Hi!" as a greeting, or "Bye. See you. Bye. See you soon!" when people left! Margarete not only figured out how to feed him but she also taught him how to fly and even how to perch! These were hard lessons for Arnie to learn, but it paid off as he loved being able to fly around the house and perch on chairs or shoulders or heads. What makes me give this book 5 stars out of 5 are the stories of how Arnie could positively change people's lives! Who would have thought such a tiny creature could be the key to spreading so much good!

[Dawn Michelle · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another RDC book :)

[Meredith · Rating 3 out of 5]

When my great aunt gave me this book, I was apprehensive; I tend to avoid books like this, finding them boring, and while it wasn’t the most appealing book, I am very glad that I read it. Margarete very much reminded me of my aunt, and this book emphasizes the importance of all life, including animals.

However, this book is not a cohesive story; rather, it is many short stories in individual chapters. It touched on deeper topics (alcoholism, racism, death, etc.) but does not delve further. The one error I cannot seem to get over is the apparent lack of editor on page 193 (Florida has not, and will never, be spelled as “Flroida”).

I don’t know if I would individually read this again, but I can see myself reading it to young ones in the future.

[Larry Hall · Rating 3 out of 5]

Sometimes you just need a dose of "feel good". This book provides just that. A delightful story about a bird rescue and the people who learned something from it in return. I don't buy into all the human qualities people like to believe animals have but I do buy into the connections between animals and humans. If you want to smile read this book.

[Kim · Rating 5 out of 5]

Having just saved a 7 day old baby starling that no rescue would take, I relate to all of it. I did not like Arnie drinking wine, that wasn't cool.

My bird is now 3 months, has an aviary, and is a snippy little one!

[Cynthiajsnyder · Rating 5 out of 5]

Having lived with a Starling for over 13 years, I absolutely loved this book. It was spot on. My starling Knucklehead had many similarities with Arnie. I would have loved to have met the author do discuss these sweet birds.

[Tammie · Rating 5 out of 5]

If you love animals you'll love this true story about a woman who rescues a newly hatched startling to live with her and her cats. The delightful Arnie is soon flying around her house singing songs such as "Mary had a little lamb"

[Denise Clarke · Rating 5 out of 5]

A Christmas gift which I loved reading. I am a bird fan anyway but this has opened my eyes to them even more. Starlings had been my least favourite but I have definitely got a different opinion about them now..A book full of humour, knowledge, love and a hint of sadness .

[Amy · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was a cute book I read with my daughter. It is written conversationally in first person and was an easy and uplifting read.

[Heidi · Rating 4 out of 5]

Read this with my 10yo daughter out of an old Readers Digest book. We were intrigued and interested in the storyline and characters from the beginning. We really enjoyed reading this together.

[Anne (ABC) · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is the second time that I have read this heartwarming story

[Abigail Whitcomb · Rating 5 out of 5]

Darling and fun!

[Dave Stelling · Rating 5 out of 5]

I happened to read this delightful story many years ago during a snowy coastal Maine winter.
The avian character "Arnie" has lingered here in my memory all these years since!

[Tricia · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a bit of a cute tale of a woman who finds a baby bird that has fallen out of its nest. Despite her best efforts to put it back, it won't stay in the nest. She decides to take it home with her and to help it survive.

The bird turns out to be a starling and despite having a number of cats in the house, Arnie survives against the odds and finds his way into everyone's hearts.

It is a true tale and it is quite light so it is worth a read.

[Gail · Rating 3 out of 5]

Published in the early '80's, this book was written in the first person by a woman who rescues a newly hatched starling who has fallen out of his nest. After several failed attempts to return him to the nest, Margarete decides to bring him into the house and try to care for him until he is able to be returned to the wild. She has no intentions of getting attached to him.

Unfortunately, as these things go, Margarete's intentions were admirable, but unrealistic. She holds off her emotions as long as possible, but the little bird is so darned cute. He not only survives, but he learns to talk, keeps her company and entertains her with his comical antics. He's happy. He and the author's three cats get along very well, as he does with her grandson and his friend. The bird's name becomes Arnold, and he wins Margarete's heart completely.

I think the author does an admirable job of caring for Arnie and certainly without her he would have died in infancy. However, wild animals that become "pets" do well for just so long; they seem to wind up in No Man's Land. We humans can't really provide for them what they need to truly thrive - exercise, nutrition, social behavior with a flock. So what's the answer? I don't know. I guess to let Mother Nature take care of Herself if at all possible, not an easy task during these days of man's increasing encroachment into wildlife habitat.

[Joyce · Rating 3 out of 5]

Picked this up in the free box and now reading it aloud to Jim. Since Jim had raised a parrot from an egg he's enjoying Arnie's antics alot. A woman starts over life in Texas, investing with partners in a business/property development plan. After the deal falls through, she's quite depressed and lethargic. Then along comes a very ugly newly hatched starling. This bird embraces domestic life completely and makes friends with the woman's cats. The character and personality developed in a common "trash" bird is amazing. Not underestimating NATURE and all it's forms is the lesson so far.

[Lori · Rating 3 out of 5]

A real quick read, maybe 2 hours. I couldn't put it down. A woman finds a bird in her garden that needs to be fed and causes her some grief, but turns out the bird starts talking short sentences , like a parrot and they are good friends. A fun lighthearted read, especially if you like birds.

[Everett · Rating 4 out of 5]

I first read this story as a 11 year old child in 1984. My grandmother, a life long bird lover and long time subscriber of Reader's Digest, discovered read it as a story in a Reader's Digest condensed book. She took great delight in recommending and loaning her book to friends and family members.

[Robin · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a non-fiction story of a woman who raised a days old starling. She didn't even know what kind of bird it was for several weeks. Amazingly, he learned to talk and had a large vocabulary that he used at appropriate times. Interesting book!

[Raquel · Rating 3 out of 5]

Sweet little book about an animal-lover who rescues a starling hatchling and teaches him to talk. Arnie ends up being a true companion who helps the author get through some tough times. Charming read for animal lovers.

[Diane Wachter · Rating 3 out of 5]

Diane Marie Barros, Margarete Sigl Corbo, RDC-M, #2, 1984, 1/92. Supposedly the true story of a talking starling and a grandmother who raised him from a helpless baby bird out of its nest. Entertaining.

[Ross · Rating 4 out of 5]

My wife and I received this as a fortuitous "hand me down" from a friend of the family, who had themselves received it secondhand from a friend of their family. Really enjoyed reading this to my 5yo as a nonfiction story that created a strong emotional connection.

[Ann Amadori · Rating 5 out of 5]

True story of a starling named Arnie, who fell or was pushed (probably pushed) out of his nest as an infant. He was found by the author who raised him and taught him to talk. Touching story.