Seabird in the Forest: The Mystery of the Marbled Murrelet

Rich illustrations and perceptive descriptions portray two marbled murrelets, which leave the sea to nest high in an old-growth canopy (the bird's unusual nesting habits were only discovered in the 1970s). Well-integrated sidebars describe other animals (a wandering salamander, a flying squirrel) that occupy the "landscape above a landscape" where the chick waits for its parents to return with fish. One day, the young murrelet plucks its downy feathers and takes flight for the first time. Dunning's verdant, rain-muted paintings on canvas lovingly celebrate the Pacific Northwest's singular ecosystem. Ages 5%E2%80%939. (Apr.)