Granny's Gang: Life with a Most Unusual Family of Owls

Susan Rogers was a librarian with the Laurenval School Board (Adult Services), Deux Montagnes, Quebec.

Granny is a spectacled owl from the jungles of South America. Found in a dirty box in a small zoo, she was brought to Katherine and Larry McKeever at their Owl Research and Rehabilitation Centre in Vineland, Ontario. Although she was nursed back to health in a short time, Granny could never be returned to her natural environment because she didn’t know she was an owl. She had imprinted on human beings.

Granny’s Gang is the story of Granny and several other non-releasable owls whose lives have been put to good purpose. They act as foster parents to orphaned baby owls who never would have survived on their own in the wild. After being raised by Granny or Pops or Mama-San, or another member of this remarkable gang, and imprinting on their own species of owl, the young owls are returned to their natural environment.

This is an excellent book appealing to nature lovers of any age. It is well written, funny, and touching. The black-and-white illustrations by Olena Kassian are very attractive. The author says that her purpose in writing is to help readers to think of owls as unique and beautiful creatures. She certainly succeeds in this endeavour. Katherine McKeever must also be a unique and wonderful person.