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Saving Jemima: Life and Love with a Hard-Luck Jay – The Emotional True Story of Rehabilitating an Orphaned Blue Jay
For fans of Wesley the Owl and The Soul of an Octopus , the story of a sick baby bird nursed back to health and into the wild by renowned writer/artist Julie Zickefoose.
When Jemima, a young orphaned blue jay, is brought to wildlife rehabilitator Julie Zickefoose, she is a virtually tailless, palm-sized bundle of gray-blue fluff. But she is starved and very sick. Julie’s constant care brings her around, and as Jemima is raised for eventual release, she takes over the house and the rest of the author's summer.
Shortly after release, Jemima turns up with a deadly disease. But medicating a free-flying wild bird is a challenge. When the PBS show Nature expresses interest in filming Jemima, Julie must train her to behave on camera, as the bird gets ever wilder. Jemima bonds with a wild jay, stretching her ties with the family. Throughout, Julie grapples with the fallout of Jemima’s illness, studies molt and migration, and does her best to keep Jemima strong and wild. She falls hard for this engaging, feisty and funny bird, a creative muse and source of strength through the author’s own heartbreaking changes.
Emotional and honest, Saving Jemima is a universal story of the communion between a wild creature and the human chosen to raise it.
When Jemima, a young orphaned blue jay, is brought to wildlife rehabilitator Julie Zickefoose, she is a virtually tailless, palm-sized bundle of gray-blue fluff. But she is starved and very sick. Julie’s constant care brings her around, and as Jemima is raised for eventual release, she takes over the house and the rest of the author's summer.
Shortly after release, Jemima turns up with a deadly disease. But medicating a free-flying wild bird is a challenge. When the PBS show Nature expresses interest in filming Jemima, Julie must train her to behave on camera, as the bird gets ever wilder. Jemima bonds with a wild jay, stretching her ties with the family. Throughout, Julie grapples with the fallout of Jemima’s illness, studies molt and migration, and does her best to keep Jemima strong and wild. She falls hard for this engaging, feisty and funny bird, a creative muse and source of strength through the author’s own heartbreaking changes.
Emotional and honest, Saving Jemima is a universal story of the communion between a wild creature and the human chosen to raise it.
272 pages, Hardcover
First published September 10, 2019
52 people are currently reading
968 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 107 reviews
January 5, 2022
Review originally appeared on Open Letters Review.
In the springtime, panicked individuals will find themselves typing “baby bird” into a Google search, thumbing through countless results of instructions of what to do after finding a tiny, naked, and completely helpless creature separated from the safety of the nest. The top recommendation will be to safely and unobtrusively return the youngster to its parents, but, in many cases, this will prove impossible. The next best option is to bring the baby to an experienced wildlife rehabilitator, a title that author Julie Zickefoose held for years. It was this label that put her on a list of resources for one such desperate, would-be baby bird-rescuer, who sent over all the details on a young blue jay, found looking poorly on the ground with no nest in sight.
Although she can’t possibly take in every bird she’s contacted about, something about this jay spoke to Zickefoose. Not too long before, she had attempted to hatch a local blue jay egg otherwise destined to become lunch for a hungry snake. A mishap with an incubator sadly ended in the egg no longer being viable and although she’s no stranger to the harsh realities of nature, it still proved to be a blow to Zickefoose’s spirits. To get a second chance to raise a jay felt like fate, and so her family takes in the young female, a little beauty they give same name as a daughter of Job: Jemima. So begins Saving Jemima: Life and Love with a Hard-Luck Jay, the author’s account of raising this jay to a releasable state and the continuing drama once she was returned to the wild.
Fostering a bird is hard work and should not be done by amateurs who will likely be largely ignorant of the wide expanse of the bird’s needs, especially since such needs tend to vary by species. One worry when humans raise birds so closely is that they will “imprint” upon their caretakers. Birds who are raised separate from their species occasionally begin to think they are human, rejecting those social connections with fellow birds that will prove vital to their survival in the wild. Imprinted birds must forever remain in captivity and although they can teach humankind much about the still-remaining mysteries of the avian world, it’s a fate no rehabilitator wishes on the birds they lovingly raise. The bird ideally will only ever be the equivalent of a rock star hotel guest: causes a ruckus, does some serious indoor damage, but leaves everyone with some wild stories after check out.
Though imprinting is rare and, as the author explains, normally only happens when the bird is orphaned so young that they never get a chance to see and interact with other birds of their kind, it was still a worry in Jemima’s case because of the nature of blue jays. Jays are corvids, meaning they share a classification with the infamously intelligent crows, ravens, magpies, and rooks. Anyone who has been lucky enough to spy a blue jay in their neighborhood will know them to be incredibly resourceful and social, but also with a leaning toward the aggressive. Inviting one of these wily creatures into one’s living room is bound to stir up some trouble and Jemima proves this with gusto as she screams her demands, uses her foraging skills on the family’s belongings, and relentlessly tortures the old family dog like the true younger sibling she is.
This behavior seems to confirm the backyard bully reputation blue jays have, but, through raising Jem, Zickefoose and her family get an up-close view of all the virtues of the species. Jemima’s social nature and bubbly personality allow her to foster rich and distinctive relationships with each member of the family. Even as an orphan raised by humans, she wastes no time buddying up to the neighborhood jays after her release, a resolve that seems consistent in the greater clan. Her intelligence is on full display as she zips around the backyard like a blue bullet, hiding her food away in spots she will later perfectly recall. But most importantly, after each recovery from a dire situation, she displays an incredible and inspirational resiliency.
For the blissful blink of a moment spent in this book, we don’t simply get to know Jemima; we get to be Jemima as we are welcomed into Julie’s family home. We’re offered sustenance with the descriptions and illustrations of all the food Jemima uses to grow up strong. We’re invited into bird-dominated conversation by Zickefoose’s stunning paintings of Jemima that introduce each chapter as though they were hanging casually on the walls of her home. And, only reaffirming the bond the author has already established with the reader, the book’s conclusion is the equivalent of an unforgettable heart-to-heart at the end of a lovely visit. Our author explains how the time spent cherishing a little bird was the wind under her own wings that she dearly needed to persevere through the string of hardships life had begun to inflict upon her:
...Jemima showed me how to let go and be grateful for what I was given. When you get a puppy, you can pretty much count on a decade of companionship, barring accident or illness. When you raise a wild bird, all bets are off. When I took Jemima on, I rolled my heart into a crapshoot. Fate made all the calls. Fate always does. Whether in life, marriage, or bird rehabilitation, things rarely work out the way you envision, hope, dream, or plan for.
The entire book feels like home - the love and grace that encircle it and all the clumsiness and heartache that can be safely felt inside. This is more than a bird book. This is the respite every reader needs from the dangers of the wild. Given the chance, it will feed your soul as you build back up the courage to rejoin the larger world outside.
In the springtime, panicked individuals will find themselves typing “baby bird” into a Google search, thumbing through countless results of instructions of what to do after finding a tiny, naked, and completely helpless creature separated from the safety of the nest. The top recommendation will be to safely and unobtrusively return the youngster to its parents, but, in many cases, this will prove impossible. The next best option is to bring the baby to an experienced wildlife rehabilitator, a title that author Julie Zickefoose held for years. It was this label that put her on a list of resources for one such desperate, would-be baby bird-rescuer, who sent over all the details on a young blue jay, found looking poorly on the ground with no nest in sight.
Although she can’t possibly take in every bird she’s contacted about, something about this jay spoke to Zickefoose. Not too long before, she had attempted to hatch a local blue jay egg otherwise destined to become lunch for a hungry snake. A mishap with an incubator sadly ended in the egg no longer being viable and although she’s no stranger to the harsh realities of nature, it still proved to be a blow to Zickefoose’s spirits. To get a second chance to raise a jay felt like fate, and so her family takes in the young female, a little beauty they give same name as a daughter of Job: Jemima. So begins Saving Jemima: Life and Love with a Hard-Luck Jay, the author’s account of raising this jay to a releasable state and the continuing drama once she was returned to the wild.
Fostering a bird is hard work and should not be done by amateurs who will likely be largely ignorant of the wide expanse of the bird’s needs, especially since such needs tend to vary by species. One worry when humans raise birds so closely is that they will “imprint” upon their caretakers. Birds who are raised separate from their species occasionally begin to think they are human, rejecting those social connections with fellow birds that will prove vital to their survival in the wild. Imprinted birds must forever remain in captivity and although they can teach humankind much about the still-remaining mysteries of the avian world, it’s a fate no rehabilitator wishes on the birds they lovingly raise. The bird ideally will only ever be the equivalent of a rock star hotel guest: causes a ruckus, does some serious indoor damage, but leaves everyone with some wild stories after check out.
Though imprinting is rare and, as the author explains, normally only happens when the bird is orphaned so young that they never get a chance to see and interact with other birds of their kind, it was still a worry in Jemima’s case because of the nature of blue jays. Jays are corvids, meaning they share a classification with the infamously intelligent crows, ravens, magpies, and rooks. Anyone who has been lucky enough to spy a blue jay in their neighborhood will know them to be incredibly resourceful and social, but also with a leaning toward the aggressive. Inviting one of these wily creatures into one’s living room is bound to stir up some trouble and Jemima proves this with gusto as she screams her demands, uses her foraging skills on the family’s belongings, and relentlessly tortures the old family dog like the true younger sibling she is.
This behavior seems to confirm the backyard bully reputation blue jays have, but, through raising Jem, Zickefoose and her family get an up-close view of all the virtues of the species. Jemima’s social nature and bubbly personality allow her to foster rich and distinctive relationships with each member of the family. Even as an orphan raised by humans, she wastes no time buddying up to the neighborhood jays after her release, a resolve that seems consistent in the greater clan. Her intelligence is on full display as she zips around the backyard like a blue bullet, hiding her food away in spots she will later perfectly recall. But most importantly, after each recovery from a dire situation, she displays an incredible and inspirational resiliency.
For the blissful blink of a moment spent in this book, we don’t simply get to know Jemima; we get to be Jemima as we are welcomed into Julie’s family home. We’re offered sustenance with the descriptions and illustrations of all the food Jemima uses to grow up strong. We’re invited into bird-dominated conversation by Zickefoose’s stunning paintings of Jemima that introduce each chapter as though they were hanging casually on the walls of her home. And, only reaffirming the bond the author has already established with the reader, the book’s conclusion is the equivalent of an unforgettable heart-to-heart at the end of a lovely visit. Our author explains how the time spent cherishing a little bird was the wind under her own wings that she dearly needed to persevere through the string of hardships life had begun to inflict upon her:
...Jemima showed me how to let go and be grateful for what I was given. When you get a puppy, you can pretty much count on a decade of companionship, barring accident or illness. When you raise a wild bird, all bets are off. When I took Jemima on, I rolled my heart into a crapshoot. Fate made all the calls. Fate always does. Whether in life, marriage, or bird rehabilitation, things rarely work out the way you envision, hope, dream, or plan for.
The entire book feels like home - the love and grace that encircle it and all the clumsiness and heartache that can be safely felt inside. This is more than a bird book. This is the respite every reader needs from the dangers of the wild. Given the chance, it will feed your soul as you build back up the courage to rejoin the larger world outside.
August 19, 2019
"The presence of a single bird can change everything for one who appreciates them."
Living in the Pacific Northwest, I have no everyday experiences with blue jays to speak of. While birding on the east coast, I’ve watched blue jays in awe as the people around me maligned them for their noisiness and “bullying” behavior. On the three or four occasions I’ve seen blue jays, I counted myself lucky to be in the presence of these extraordinary birds.
So, unlike readers across more than half of the United States, it was with the warmest preconceived notions that I began reading Julie Zickefoose’s Saving Jemima.
Saving Jemima is, as advertised, the story of one hard-luck blue jay. But it is also the story of that jay’s fiercely dedicated foster parent, who loves perhaps not wisely but too well. As the story progresses, Jemima and Julie face changes and new beginnings in their lives. Their circumstances and relationships shift, and they must find their roles and adjust to a new normal. At turns scientific and sentimental, this book is as much about blue jays as it is about the resilience of living things.
Needless to say, I finished the book an even bigger fan of blue jays.
Julie Zickefoose’s writing makes me laugh; it makes me cry; it makes me stay up way past my bedtime. She possesses a technicolor wit and a razor-sharp eye for detail. She describes color with Pantone precision. It seems almost unfair that a person should be so gifted in both visual art and in prose — but that she shares these gifts with us makes me inclined to forgive her.
Julie Zickefoose is a natural storyteller. Throughout Saving Jemima, I found myself envisioning it as a fantastic one-woman play, an ornithological dramedy wherein Julie — who absolutely must sing — reflects on life, love, loss, and healing. With a voice so lively and strong, why confine it to the page?
Living in the Pacific Northwest, I have no everyday experiences with blue jays to speak of. While birding on the east coast, I’ve watched blue jays in awe as the people around me maligned them for their noisiness and “bullying” behavior. On the three or four occasions I’ve seen blue jays, I counted myself lucky to be in the presence of these extraordinary birds.
So, unlike readers across more than half of the United States, it was with the warmest preconceived notions that I began reading Julie Zickefoose’s Saving Jemima.
Saving Jemima is, as advertised, the story of one hard-luck blue jay. But it is also the story of that jay’s fiercely dedicated foster parent, who loves perhaps not wisely but too well. As the story progresses, Jemima and Julie face changes and new beginnings in their lives. Their circumstances and relationships shift, and they must find their roles and adjust to a new normal. At turns scientific and sentimental, this book is as much about blue jays as it is about the resilience of living things.
Needless to say, I finished the book an even bigger fan of blue jays.
Julie Zickefoose’s writing makes me laugh; it makes me cry; it makes me stay up way past my bedtime. She possesses a technicolor wit and a razor-sharp eye for detail. She describes color with Pantone precision. It seems almost unfair that a person should be so gifted in both visual art and in prose — but that she shares these gifts with us makes me inclined to forgive her.
Julie Zickefoose is a natural storyteller. Throughout Saving Jemima, I found myself envisioning it as a fantastic one-woman play, an ornithological dramedy wherein Julie — who absolutely must sing — reflects on life, love, loss, and healing. With a voice so lively and strong, why confine it to the page?
September 13, 2019
What a lovely book - in every sense. It is a compact, colorful, beautifully produced object: just a comfortable size to hold and read, on classy paper stock, and illuminated throughout with Zickefoose's elegant paintings and drawings, plus charming photos of Jemima the blue jay and members of her human foster family. I so often wish that art-type books I've read recently had some decent illustrations; this one was a joy.
Those of us who follow Zickefoose on Facebook or through her blog already know some of this story, but here she gets room to expand on the year she spent nursing, coaching, watching, cheering, photographing, drawing and loving the tough little blue jay she had rescued as a sickly 11-day-old fluff nugget. In warm-hearted prose, she tells us all about the intellectual and emotional ride you get when you do what she does: devote your life to saving and releasing wildlife in need... and having to say good-bye. The tale of Jemima - a delightful, charismatic, demanding little character - is woven through other strands of Zickefoose's life: her near-adult children who are themselves preparing to leave the "nest," her marriage, her aging dog, her own enmeshment in relationships with wild animals - some of which made my heart ache. This all adds up to more than just another human + wild animal story. For birders, there is a wealth of information to be relished about feeding, behaviors, and personalities (Brown Thrashers are described as "catlike and comical" - perfect!). A recipe for "Zick Dough," her own particular brew for winter feeding, is provided. A particularly gorgeous plate is a circle of portraits of the individual jays she knew by sight, depicting the subtle markings and hues that made each one unique.
A wonderful mix of birds, humans, arts, words, and love.
Those of us who follow Zickefoose on Facebook or through her blog already know some of this story, but here she gets room to expand on the year she spent nursing, coaching, watching, cheering, photographing, drawing and loving the tough little blue jay she had rescued as a sickly 11-day-old fluff nugget. In warm-hearted prose, she tells us all about the intellectual and emotional ride you get when you do what she does: devote your life to saving and releasing wildlife in need... and having to say good-bye. The tale of Jemima - a delightful, charismatic, demanding little character - is woven through other strands of Zickefoose's life: her near-adult children who are themselves preparing to leave the "nest," her marriage, her aging dog, her own enmeshment in relationships with wild animals - some of which made my heart ache. This all adds up to more than just another human + wild animal story. For birders, there is a wealth of information to be relished about feeding, behaviors, and personalities (Brown Thrashers are described as "catlike and comical" - perfect!). A recipe for "Zick Dough," her own particular brew for winter feeding, is provided. A particularly gorgeous plate is a circle of portraits of the individual jays she knew by sight, depicting the subtle markings and hues that made each one unique.
A wonderful mix of birds, humans, arts, words, and love.
January 8, 2020
I really love the way Julie Zickefoose writes about life and science it is interesting and accessible and her joy in and love of birds shines through the pages.
Popsugar Reading Challenge 2020: A book with a bird on the cover
Popsugar Reading Challenge 2020: A book with a bird on the cover
September 20, 2019
SAVING JEMIMA:Life and Love with a Hard-Luck Jay by Julie Zickefoose
When I began blogging in 2006, like many novice bloggers, I waited for my first comment…a link to the larger world of people interested in some of the things that enthrall me. As it happened, the woman who commented on a blog I had written (about a trip to Spain) was someone who was deeply involved in the amateur world of bird-watching. In turn, through her I found a network of bloggers with many and varied interests but the common connection was birding. Thus did I “meet” Julie Zickefoose.
As a self-employed author, artist and naturalist, she is…well, here’s her own description from her website http://www.juliezickefoose.com/index.php “ I am a writer, artist and naturalist at home in the Appalachian foothills of Ohio. Every day, I roam our 80 acre wildlife sanctuary, and every day I find something new. This deep relationship with the land is the wellspring of my writing.”
Out of this description comes the makings of SAVING JEMIMA. Given that Julie is a wildlife rehabilitator, she gets frequent calls to rescue sick, or helpless, or abandoned animals and birds. It was in this capacity that someone called her about a baby blue jay. And that was the beginning of the book.
From the opening page, I was captivated. Make that from the first opening of the book, looking at the inside cover which is colored and speckled EXACTLY like a blue jay’s egg. It is that kind of attention to detail and authenticity of writing down her observations that makes this book unlike any other I have read—and that in the most delightful special way.
Lest you think this book is only about birds—you would be wrong. True, you learn a great deal about birds! And the way Julie explains things, even if you aren’t a “birder” (that would be me…I love to look at them, but know next to nothing about them), you will be entranced.
Beyond learning a great deal about birds in general, blue jays in particular, you also learn what it is like to go through a life crisis—which Julie did—and how being connected to nature helps one heal and regain an even keel.
When I began blogging in 2006, like many novice bloggers, I waited for my first comment…a link to the larger world of people interested in some of the things that enthrall me. As it happened, the woman who commented on a blog I had written (about a trip to Spain) was someone who was deeply involved in the amateur world of bird-watching. In turn, through her I found a network of bloggers with many and varied interests but the common connection was birding. Thus did I “meet” Julie Zickefoose.
As a self-employed author, artist and naturalist, she is…well, here’s her own description from her website http://www.juliezickefoose.com/index.php “ I am a writer, artist and naturalist at home in the Appalachian foothills of Ohio. Every day, I roam our 80 acre wildlife sanctuary, and every day I find something new. This deep relationship with the land is the wellspring of my writing.”
Out of this description comes the makings of SAVING JEMIMA. Given that Julie is a wildlife rehabilitator, she gets frequent calls to rescue sick, or helpless, or abandoned animals and birds. It was in this capacity that someone called her about a baby blue jay. And that was the beginning of the book.
From the opening page, I was captivated. Make that from the first opening of the book, looking at the inside cover which is colored and speckled EXACTLY like a blue jay’s egg. It is that kind of attention to detail and authenticity of writing down her observations that makes this book unlike any other I have read—and that in the most delightful special way.
Lest you think this book is only about birds—you would be wrong. True, you learn a great deal about birds! And the way Julie explains things, even if you aren’t a “birder” (that would be me…I love to look at them, but know next to nothing about them), you will be entranced.
Beyond learning a great deal about birds in general, blue jays in particular, you also learn what it is like to go through a life crisis—which Julie did—and how being connected to nature helps one heal and regain an even keel.
November 6, 2021
Enjoyment Level: 3🌟
Writing Quality: 4🌟
Audiobook Narration: 4🌟
Julie Zickefoose is a long established wildlife rehabilitator, but blue jays were one of the birds she'd not had much first hand experience with. Not until an 11 day old female jay was brought to her doorstep. Without love and care, death for the little bird was all but certain. In Saving Jemima, Zickefoose writes about Jemima's early days, her bright stages of growth, the fearful downturns that seemed to promise demise, and then the inevitable day when Jemima flitted her feathers through the trees to disappear into the world for good.
A short and enjoyable book. Birds and birding being a recent hobby of mine, I liked learning more about this particular species (especially as they don't live in my neck of the world). Audio narration was done by the author and there are some moments when you can hear other birds chirping in the background!
Writing Quality: 4🌟
Audiobook Narration: 4🌟
Julie Zickefoose is a long established wildlife rehabilitator, but blue jays were one of the birds she'd not had much first hand experience with. Not until an 11 day old female jay was brought to her doorstep. Without love and care, death for the little bird was all but certain. In Saving Jemima, Zickefoose writes about Jemima's early days, her bright stages of growth, the fearful downturns that seemed to promise demise, and then the inevitable day when Jemima flitted her feathers through the trees to disappear into the world for good.
A short and enjoyable book. Birds and birding being a recent hobby of mine, I liked learning more about this particular species (especially as they don't live in my neck of the world). Audio narration was done by the author and there are some moments when you can hear other birds chirping in the background!
October 4, 2019
Of interest primarily to birders, nature illustrators, or those who enjoy reading about the natural world. I found out, much to my surprise, that blue jays are a member of the Corvid family (crows & ravens). The author urges us to take a closer look at blue jays and to realize that they have much more to offer than their reputation as a bratty bird might suggest. Beautiful book, lush with the author's illustrations.
October 2, 2019
Lavishly illustrated with the author/artist’s colorful watercolors and photographs, this beautifully designed book is a joy to page through and even more of a joy to read as it recounts the story of a baby blue jay with personality plus and how she came into Julie Zickefoose’s and her family’s life. Ms Zickefoose has many years of experience with wild bird rehabilitation (with all the required licenses), but she had never raised a blue jay before. She deftly mixes the personal and the scientific as she shares the journey with its ups and downs, explains why Jemima played such a special role in her life, and goes over how little is really known about blue jays, including how they migrate.
Jemima’s story is moving, suspenseful, and a testament to the better angels of human nature. And, the book is planned and illustrated beautifully. For example, the end paper coloration is based on a blue jay’s egg! I came away with appreciation for how much work goes into raising a baby bird, whether by its parents or a human being, and a much greater appreciation of blue jays. Highly recommended for bird and animal lovers. And a hint to those who like me sometimes skip epilogues — don’t skip this one.
Jemima’s story is moving, suspenseful, and a testament to the better angels of human nature. And, the book is planned and illustrated beautifully. For example, the end paper coloration is based on a blue jay’s egg! I came away with appreciation for how much work goes into raising a baby bird, whether by its parents or a human being, and a much greater appreciation of blue jays. Highly recommended for bird and animal lovers. And a hint to those who like me sometimes skip epilogues — don’t skip this one.
May 8, 2020
ஒரு நண்பன் தன்னுடைய உலகத்தை நமக்கு திறந்து விடுகிறான்.. அந்த நண்பன் ஒரு காட்டு குருவியாக இருப்பின், அது நமக்கு இயற்கையின் அதிசய உலகத்தை திறந்துவிடும்.. அப்படித்தான் இந்த இயற்கை ஆர்வலருக்கு , கூட்டிலிருந்து தள்ளிவிடப்பட்ட ஒரு blue jay பறவை, தனக்கு சொல்லித்தந்த பாடங்களை தொகுத்திருக்கிறார்.. படிக்க வியப்பாக இருக்கிறது.. தமிழில் இது போன்ற இயற்கை சார்ந்த புத்தகங்கள் நமக்கு இந்நாளில் மிக மிக அவசியம்.. நாம் ஓணானையும் , ஆந்தைகளையும் ஏன் வெறுக்கிறோம்/ துன்புறுத்துகிறோம் .. அவை நமக்கு நன்மை பயக்கும் என்ற அறியாமை தான்.. இந்த புத்தகம் நிச்சயம் உங்கள் இருதயத்தை தொடும், இயற்கையை நோக்கி உங்களை திருப்பும்..
November 30, 2020
I have a lot of blue jays in my yard. I never knew much about them. This book is very informative, and the illustrations are beautiful. I thoroughly enjoyed this book!
September 13, 2020
Julie Zickefoose has rehabilitated dozens of song birds and lives on a property she's made into a bird sanctuary. So, when someone contacted her on Facebook about an abandoned baby blue jay she immediately takes in the bird she names Jemima. Once Jemima is out of danger her intellect and instincts are on display all the time. She treats each member of the family differently - including their old dog Chet Baker. Unlike almost all the wild birds Julie rehabilitated, Jemima keeps coming back after she's been released into the wild. It's almost as if she's decided to have the best of both worlds - living in the wild with other jays, but also coming home for special food and attention. A little more than half way through the book the author explains what was going on in her personal life when she took in Jemima - both of her kids were either in college or about to be, her dog was elderly and going downhill, and her husband of more than 20 years was moving out. That would have been better to be at the beginning of the book because it explained SO MUCH about her attachment to Jemima. I just thought she was a very neurotic bird lady until that chapter explained more. I'm not sure why she placed that where she did in the book, but in my opinion it would have made much more sense to explain that from the beginning. The author is also an artist and photographer, so the book is filled with beautiful illustrations and photographs. I didn't love this book as much as I have other animal books, but honestly the photos and illustrations kept me going. I would recommend this more to a hardcore bird watcher/lover than the average animal person like me who is just looking for a unique animal story/book. But, the author is a very talented artist, so maybe pick up the book just to see her artwork and photography.
June 18, 2021
An ornithologist nurtures an abandoned sick blue jay and prepares it for its eventual release into the wild, while finding parallels in own personal life. Julie Zickefoose and her family care and live with the orphaned blue jay they name Jemima, while they go through their own familial challenges. Jemima becomes stronger under the family’s care, and though a bitter sweet release into the wild, Julie learns that despite being a wild bird, Jemima remains loyal to her family.
Although the author writes plainly, Julie Zickefoose is an experienced and capable ornithologist, and one learns interesting facts about blue jays in her entertaining nature story. Blue jays are part of the corvid family, which are highly intelligent and social birds. It is nearly impossible to distinguish the difference between a male and female blue jay unless you can view their nesting behavior. The migration patterns of blue jays still remain a mystery to biologist; some jays seem to migration while others don’t.
In Julie’s family, while her children head off to college and her husband becomes ill, it is through Julie’s nurturing and care, that her family remains loving and intact. Julie cannot see the connection between her family’s personal issues and her unpredictable bird patient immediately, but she eventually overcomes her personal doubts and recognizes her natural anxieties as she perseveres through the difficult episode in life while nurturing the fledgling bird for its eventual successful release in to the natural world.
Although the author writes plainly, Julie Zickefoose is an experienced and capable ornithologist, and one learns interesting facts about blue jays in her entertaining nature story. Blue jays are part of the corvid family, which are highly intelligent and social birds. It is nearly impossible to distinguish the difference between a male and female blue jay unless you can view their nesting behavior. The migration patterns of blue jays still remain a mystery to biologist; some jays seem to migration while others don’t.
In Julie’s family, while her children head off to college and her husband becomes ill, it is through Julie’s nurturing and care, that her family remains loving and intact. Julie cannot see the connection between her family’s personal issues and her unpredictable bird patient immediately, but she eventually overcomes her personal doubts and recognizes her natural anxieties as she perseveres through the difficult episode in life while nurturing the fledgling bird for its eventual successful release in to the natural world.
December 20, 2020
Charming little book with lovely paintings, drawings and photos of life with a found-on-the-ground baby blue jay. Now many of us who feed birds could do with much less in the way of blue jays, but Julie gives us a way to love and embrace jays. They are beautiful, they are smart, being Corvids, and they have personality brought out by the author's loving descriptions of living with her Jemima.
May 18, 2020
Very sweet book about a wildlife rehabilitator who cares for an abandoned baby blue jay, eventually releasing her back into the wild. The author is also a very talented artist and photographer, and charming pictures are featured on most pages.
December 20, 2022
4.5⭐️ This was just the type of animal/bird book I’ve been looking for. I was like an extra long Dodo video. I liked the addition of the authors own photographs and illustrations throughout the whole book.
January 5, 2020
This book was a very nice surprise but probably not for everyone. I got it as a gift because we spend a lot of time feeding birds, especially peanuts to bluejays, and it was very interesting to learn more about them. I am not a bird watcher or anything like that, but I did enjoy the book. Lots of photos and drawings along with an interesting story about saving a baby bird.
September 16, 2019
Another amazing book by Julie Zickefoose. The photos and paintings are beautiful, the story is engrossing. I spent less than a day reading it and am now wishing I had taken more time to make it last but of course, I'll read it again. I follow Julie on Facebook and read her blog, so I knew some of it, but there's a real education from reading the book. I've always liked jays, and have an even greater appreciation for them now.
August 31, 2019
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.
#SavingJemima#NetGalley
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.
#SavingJemima#NetGalley
March 9, 2022
For me personally, this book was fabulous! As soon as I saw the title and gorgeous jacket cover, I knew I had to purchase a copy--and this is one I'm NOT giving away.
Julie Zickefoose had had many previous years experience as a wildlife rehabilitator but this orphaned blue jay especially took her heart and mine as well, as I'm sure it has done for many readers.
Zickefoose takes you through the complete experience of alarms, anxiety, successes, and triumphs, with all of the incumbent emotions, of taking this little jay from 11 days of age to release. You might very well feel the same emotions as the story progresses! She includes natural wildlife science of birds and jays, but also of her humanity in this process and she shares her family life as well. The book is well-balanced with all of these aspects and is easy to read.
Not only does Zickefoose share numerous photographs, but she also includes her very own paintings of Jemima in various locations and seasons, proving her to be an exceptional artist as well as wildlife rehabilitator.
At the end of the book, she shares pointers on how to attract and feed jays, as well as helpful camera equipment to use and information for spotting individual birds in order to track them. The reader may not care for this information, but I for one, am thinking of setting up my very own bird feeder some time later this year!
Julie Zickefoose had had many previous years experience as a wildlife rehabilitator but this orphaned blue jay especially took her heart and mine as well, as I'm sure it has done for many readers.
Zickefoose takes you through the complete experience of alarms, anxiety, successes, and triumphs, with all of the incumbent emotions, of taking this little jay from 11 days of age to release. You might very well feel the same emotions as the story progresses! She includes natural wildlife science of birds and jays, but also of her humanity in this process and she shares her family life as well. The book is well-balanced with all of these aspects and is easy to read.
Not only does Zickefoose share numerous photographs, but she also includes her very own paintings of Jemima in various locations and seasons, proving her to be an exceptional artist as well as wildlife rehabilitator.
At the end of the book, she shares pointers on how to attract and feed jays, as well as helpful camera equipment to use and information for spotting individual birds in order to track them. The reader may not care for this information, but I for one, am thinking of setting up my very own bird feeder some time later this year!
December 7, 2019
I learned more about jays and the process of raising orphaned ones for release into the wild. I enjoy watching the ones that come through the yard, but had never watched them with such detail and attention. A book about both Jays and Julie's journey emotionally and what she learns.
July 21, 2019
Saving Jemima by Julie Zickefoose
It was a delight reading this book, of course, I too love wild birds. The author has spent decades providing sanctuary for wild birds and taking care of rescued birds until they can be released safely back to the wild. Her love and dedication for birds shine through this narrative which focuses on her raising a rescued baby Blue Jay, nursing it through several serious health events, and then after releasing it back to the wild, nurturing it through to a full return to its wild heritage. She extolls the intelligence of this member of the corvid family, citing details, and describing her observations with enthusiasm and ends her story with essential information about how to care for these beautiful creatures. This was a pre-publication e-book so there were no photos, although she describes taking thousands as she developed her ability to identify individual birds. After finishing this book, I now look with even more enjoyment and amazement at the Stellar's Jays and Scrub Jays, Western relatives of Blue Jays, that visit my bird feeder daily. Recommended. Also, visit the author's blog at https://juliezickefoose.blogspot.com/
It was a delight reading this book, of course, I too love wild birds. The author has spent decades providing sanctuary for wild birds and taking care of rescued birds until they can be released safely back to the wild. Her love and dedication for birds shine through this narrative which focuses on her raising a rescued baby Blue Jay, nursing it through several serious health events, and then after releasing it back to the wild, nurturing it through to a full return to its wild heritage. She extolls the intelligence of this member of the corvid family, citing details, and describing her observations with enthusiasm and ends her story with essential information about how to care for these beautiful creatures. This was a pre-publication e-book so there were no photos, although she describes taking thousands as she developed her ability to identify individual birds. After finishing this book, I now look with even more enjoyment and amazement at the Stellar's Jays and Scrub Jays, Western relatives of Blue Jays, that visit my bird feeder daily. Recommended. Also, visit the author's blog at https://juliezickefoose.blogspot.com/
August 21, 2023
Saving Jemima: Life and Luck with a Hard Luck Jay by Sue Zickefosse is a love letter to blue jays. One thing to know about me is I absolutely adore blue jays. Growing up, my grandparents had a pet blue jay that my uncle had rescued. Frank was a dearly loved pet, and I grew up assuming all families knew the joy of a blue jay in the home! Well, they didn't, so this book is a great window into what this is like. Y'all, blue jays are a wonderful and fascinating bird. I loved reading this tale of another blue jay that became part of a home. This was also a great look at the life of wild blue jays. I learned so much, and I'm looking forward to putting my new knowledge to use as I watch the blue jays on my backyard feeder. I especially liked how it shared how to attract more blue jays to a feeder and what to watch for when you see them. I could rave about blue jays for days and days, and my house has slowly filled with blue jay items as a result of said adoration, so there was no doubt I'd love this one. If you share my love for the jays, then this is a must read. If you're reading this and all, "Whoa, how does she love this bird this much?!?" you should read this one and understand!
January 12, 2020
Julie Zickefoose is a wildlife rehabilitator and artist. This book chronicles her work with an orphaned BlueJay - taking in the 11-day-old bird and getting Jemima back to good health with hope of returning her to the wild. As Jemima's condition was being addressed, other parts of Julie's life were undergoing significant changes. Jemima helped Julie as much as she was helped by this dedicated woman. The paintings that accompany the text are to be admired in their own right. Zickefoose's writing is top notch. She has written several books, but my favorite has to be Baby Birds: an artist looks into the nest, in which Julie spent several years observing and painting the growth cycle of 17 different birds on her property by removing one lucky example from its nest daily from the time the bird hatched until it fledged. Amazing dedication, artwork and narrative!
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November 11, 2019I learned to appreciate the intelligence of the Jay's near my house because of this book. I am always trying to make my yard more bird friendly and enjoyed watching the development of this rescued bird.
October 28, 2019
This is a terrific account by a talented writer/artist/naturalist who raised a young, starving blue jay until release into the wild.
November 15, 2019
Julie Zickefoose, a wildlife rehabilitator and artist, takes in a baby blue jay that was found outside of its nest. Even though she knows it's unlikely she can save this bird, she gives it everything she's got and, against all odds, the bird thrives. This book is the story of Jemima the blue jay, as well as other birds the author has nursed back to health.
This is an enjoyable read of only a few hours. The author's drawings and the photos of the birds are lovely. Ms. Zickefoose is a fluid writer with a pleasing mix of lightheartedness and tender sentiment. She writes lyrically about Jemina while rarely becoming mawkish.
As with most first-person books, the narrative is perhaps more about the writer than the bird. She is in a tough spot in her life, as many personal losses are piling up. Raising a baby bird and successfully releasing it back into nature surely brought her a great deal of comfort. But the author seems needy and overly invested in the life of the bird, and indeed, of her family, particularly her daughter. She repeatedly bemoans her daughter's breakup with a boyfriend, almost as if it were her own breakup. And she seems to have a control issue -- it disturbed me that when the family took in Jemima and was considering names, the daughter suggested Iris, but the author overruled it, saying the bird's name had to start with J. Why? It made me look at the author in a suspicious light, which colored my reading experience.
This is an enjoyable read of only a few hours. The author's drawings and the photos of the birds are lovely. Ms. Zickefoose is a fluid writer with a pleasing mix of lightheartedness and tender sentiment. She writes lyrically about Jemina while rarely becoming mawkish.
As with most first-person books, the narrative is perhaps more about the writer than the bird. She is in a tough spot in her life, as many personal losses are piling up. Raising a baby bird and successfully releasing it back into nature surely brought her a great deal of comfort. But the author seems needy and overly invested in the life of the bird, and indeed, of her family, particularly her daughter. She repeatedly bemoans her daughter's breakup with a boyfriend, almost as if it were her own breakup. And she seems to have a control issue -- it disturbed me that when the family took in Jemima and was considering names, the daughter suggested Iris, but the author overruled it, saying the bird's name had to start with J. Why? It made me look at the author in a suspicious light, which colored my reading experience.
December 17, 2019
Saving Jemima
Life and Love with a Hard-Luck Jay
By Julie Zickefoose
It all started with noticing something where it should not be. While gardening the author found a newly-laid Blue Jay egg on the ground. She replaced it in its nest and then worried about it and its 2 potential siblings. Her fears were confirmed when prey got to 2 of the eggs. She determined to handle its incubation and deal with its raising when it hatched. But the egg died just under 1/2 through the process.
Julie Zickefoose was crushed in a sense after anticipating the drawings she would capture as her little jay grew and developed. When a year later she learned of a nestling jay in dire need she offered to give it immediate temporary care. But temporary soon grew into something more. This book is the journey that took Jemima from sickly nestling to a wild Blue Jay. The journey was filled with setbacks both for Jemima and Julie. But it is also a journey of discovery and triumph.
I once read the book That Quail, Robert and this book reminded me of it though it has been years since I read it.
I received a complimentary copy of this book via Amazon's Vine Program with no expectations but that provide my honest opinion.
Life and Love with a Hard-Luck Jay
By Julie Zickefoose
It all started with noticing something where it should not be. While gardening the author found a newly-laid Blue Jay egg on the ground. She replaced it in its nest and then worried about it and its 2 potential siblings. Her fears were confirmed when prey got to 2 of the eggs. She determined to handle its incubation and deal with its raising when it hatched. But the egg died just under 1/2 through the process.
Julie Zickefoose was crushed in a sense after anticipating the drawings she would capture as her little jay grew and developed. When a year later she learned of a nestling jay in dire need she offered to give it immediate temporary care. But temporary soon grew into something more. This book is the journey that took Jemima from sickly nestling to a wild Blue Jay. The journey was filled with setbacks both for Jemima and Julie. But it is also a journey of discovery and triumph.
I once read the book That Quail, Robert and this book reminded me of it though it has been years since I read it.
I received a complimentary copy of this book via Amazon's Vine Program with no expectations but that provide my honest opinion.
January 2, 2022
This is a charming story of the rehabilitation of Jemima, an orphaned blue jay, who is welcomed into the loving home of the author until she can be released into the wild. Saving Jemima chronicles the author as she nurses Jemima and other birds back to health in hopes of allowing them to eventually rejoin the wild again. Along the way to this goal, Jemima connects with the family, meets other birds, overcomes obstacles, heals, and pursues the wilderness.
Saving Jemima is an informative and well written read about blue jays and caring for wild birds. I learned quite a few new things reading this that I didn't already know about blue jays, wild birds, and illness that birds can develop. Julie Zickefoose is knowledgeable and passionate about her work, and I loved that she showcased it with her writing, beautiful illustrations, and photography that is featured throughout the book.
Saving Jemima: Life and Love with a Hard-Luck Jay is a lovely memoir and I'm happy it was my first read of 2022 since it increased my admiration for blue-jays. I highly recommend reading this if you love bird books, birding, or stories like this in general.
Saving Jemima is an informative and well written read about blue jays and caring for wild birds. I learned quite a few new things reading this that I didn't already know about blue jays, wild birds, and illness that birds can develop. Julie Zickefoose is knowledgeable and passionate about her work, and I loved that she showcased it with her writing, beautiful illustrations, and photography that is featured throughout the book.
Saving Jemima: Life and Love with a Hard-Luck Jay is a lovely memoir and I'm happy it was my first read of 2022 since it increased my admiration for blue-jays. I highly recommend reading this if you love bird books, birding, or stories like this in general.
July 18, 2023
My heart was dangerously invested in the outcome of this Blue Jay named Jemima. I love that people pour so much of themselves into rescuing and rehabbing animals but I don't know how their hearts can take it. I thoroughly enjoyed their story and was fascinated by the things I learned.
Most notable:
1. Male and females blue jays are basically indistinguishable. Their behavior is how to tell them apart. (The male feeds the female and if they are mating, the male is on top.)
2. In studying molting patterns, scientists discovered that falcons are more closely related to a parrots than hawks.
3. Corvids, parrots, and songbirds have more neurons than some similar or even larger sized mammals. A sulphur crested cockatoo has twice as many neurons as a bush baby (primate).
4. Corvid brains change in autumn. Their hippocampus gains neurons, giving them the ability to have a mental map of cached food through the winter.
Most notable:
1. Male and females blue jays are basically indistinguishable. Their behavior is how to tell them apart. (The male feeds the female and if they are mating, the male is on top.)
2. In studying molting patterns, scientists discovered that falcons are more closely related to a parrots than hawks.
3. Corvids, parrots, and songbirds have more neurons than some similar or even larger sized mammals. A sulphur crested cockatoo has twice as many neurons as a bush baby (primate).
4. Corvid brains change in autumn. Their hippocampus gains neurons, giving them the ability to have a mental map of cached food through the winter.
August 25, 2023
Saving Jemima is a wonderful story about Julie Zickefoose's experience raising an abandoned baby Blue Jay. Raising a wild bird for release was not a new undertaking for Zickefoose - she has a history of working with wildlife rehabilitation, but Jemima was special. She faced some extra challenges and her journey was unique. The author is a strong writer about the natural world - she doesn't romanticize it or see it through rose-colored glasses - sometimes nature is unforgiving. She does, though, convey a deep sense of love and respect for the wildness around us. This was a lovely read - and was accompanied by gorgeous photos and drawings done by the author. I also appreciated that at the end, she gave some great basic information about jays/corvids and supporting wildlife through birding. If you like books about the way humans connect with wild animals and the way that these connections can touch your heart, then this is an excellent book to pick up.
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