From the author of the bestselling Jalna series, a story of one small thing that creates a lot of beauty.

Bill and Coo were two pigeons who built their nest in the shelter of the gable of the Dullards’ house. Mr. and Mrs. Dullard hated all birds, especially pigeons. Mr. Dullard even tries to hit Bill with a rock, but the rock bounced back from the roof and hit Mr. Dullard instead. After that they let the pigeons alone, but they grumbled about them continually.

When the beautiful new egg Coo laid was hatched, something emerged which changed the lives of the envious, bad-tempered humans living beneath and had a surprising effect on the jealous members of the bird world.

In language of great simplicity and with a storyteller’s art, Mazo de la Roche tells of the little baby bird whose coming spreads beauty where harshness and envy had been before.

Mazo de la Roche, in 1927, was an impoverished writer in Toronto when she won a $10,000 prize from The Atlantic Monthly for her novel Jalna. The book became an immediate bestseller and was eventually adapted for stage, screen, and television. Known for creating unforgettable characters that come to life for her readers, Mazo de la Roche is truly an icon of Canadian literature.

In 1927, Mazo de la Roche was an impoverished writer in Toronto when she won a $10,000 prize from the American magazine Atlantic Monthly for her novel Jalna. The book became an immediate bestseller. In 1929, the sequel Whiteoaks also went to the top of bestseller lists. Mazo went on to publish 16 novels in the popular series about a Canadian family named Whiteoak, living in a house called Jalna. Her success allowed her to travel the world and to live in a mansion near Windsor Castle. Mazo created unforgettable characters who come to life for her readers, but she was secretive about her own life and tried to escape the public attention her fame brought.

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