Hawk Mother: The Story of a Red-Tailed Hawk Who Hatched Chickens

What happens when two baby chickens find themselves in a nest with a hawk? Don't hawks usually eat chickens? Sunshine, a red-tailed hawk, can no longer fly free, but her instinct to be a mother is so strong that she builds a nest in her aviary every spring and lays two infertile eggs. One year, Kara, her caretaker, decides to try something different. She gives Sunshine two fertile chicken eggs. Sunshine patiently incubates the eggs, and then they hatch. Will the chickens recognize Sunshine as their mother? Will Sunshine accept the chicks as her own? Join zoologist Kara Hagedorn and Sunshine to find out what happens in this heartwarming story of nurture over nature.

Free, downloadable activities designed to accompany the book are available on the publisher's website. Research, anatomy, nature, art, vocabulary, and literature activities address Common Core State Standards: ELA/Literacy and Next Generation Science Standards.
--Kara Hagedorn