Customer Reviews

That Quail Robert

5 star:		(11)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I enjoyed reading this little book over the holidays. A great gift for my friend who loves quail. A touching true tale.

This isn't War and Peace, but it definitely is a lovely, smile-inducing account written by someone who certainly had a heart for the small and wonderful. It's a timeless little book that puts forward a simple message. It's a message that seems lost in these days of crooked brokers, unexplained violence, and degenerate behaviour. Lost hope in man? Read this book. There may be hope for us yet, and it will come through the eyes of the weak and the small. God bless Robert.

Animals don't have souls??? Huh??...WRONG!!!!

Who would have thought that from an abandoned quail's egg so much personality and affection would hatch out? Yet that is precisely what happened on Cape Cod back in 1962, as chronicled with love and honesty by the author. What happens when the human world becomes a substitute for Nature? Is the orphaned wild creature better off with its own kind, or with an adoptive family of a different species? Readers must judge for themselves in this charming tale about a delightful female quail, misnamed Robert.

Written with humor and pathos by an observant neighbor, who became Robert's Aunt and longterm hostess, this slim volume is a gem about surprising family adjustments. Human emotions seem to have rubbed off on this impressionable birdling, who rapidly becomes a member of the family--even to requiring babysitters. You will chuckle and weep over her antics and trials. How human can a bird get? Once you spend some quality time with personable and endearing Robert, you will know the truth for yourself!

That's what "That Quail, Robert" amply demonstrates. Although ornithologists apparently eschew the assignment of human thought and emotion to animals and birds, this book convincingly shows that quails are capable of love and having hurt feelings, and are in need of companionship, just like humans. Quails are also intelligent enough to play games and critique the slightest change in home decor! Of course Robert the Quail was very lucky to have "parents" as loving and doting as the Kienzles and benefited from the fact that they were a retired couple who enjoyed rearing a new "child" after their other children had long since...flown the coop.

The writing style of Margaret Stanger is very descriptive and at times needed explanation when my 10 year old daughter and I read it aloud to one another, but it is so full of love and admiration that the message is clear: this bird was very very special and much loved. She (for Robert was a she not a he) was a dignified, sweet and loving 'person', and we really enjoyed the many well-told stories within. I read it when I was a young child, and it is one of my favorite books, along with Charlotte's Web. Just knowing that this is a true story makes this book even more remarkable. Animals are more special than the average human being realizes, and I wish more 'ordinary' people would read it to open their eyes to how wonderful the animals that share our world really are. We tend to get to bogged down in our jobs and material things which really do nothing to enhance our lives. All we really need is a quail, perhaps, to enlighten our lives. Simplicity is always best. Fabulous, Fabulous book. I would like to know if there are any postcards or pictures available on Robert for sale, and if the people in the book are still alive...

to say that this boook is heartwarming is an understatement. This is a true story of a quail who was left behind on the road and adopted by a caring family. There are some funny stories within the book such as the time when the author, a very dignified woman from New England, had a dinner party. Robert, the quail, chose that moment to fly into the broccoli with cream sauce and take a bath there spraying some of the guests and stamping little bird feet in a bowl of mint jelly. Quail in the wild, take dust baths. There are other stories within the book that show the bond between the quail and his adopted family. He was adopted legally and banded. This book is a sweet and wonderful read. Read and enjoy:)

After reading That Quail Robert I have been giving the book to people who like pets, but have no feeling for wildlife. Robert is only unique in that he was raised by humans and not by other quail. There are quail in our parks and wilderness that are just as social and expressive as Robert, however they share their social activities with their own species and not ours. I highly recommend reading That Quail Robert, and then going outside and observing wild quail and other wild animals. There is a little bit or Robert in them all.

My interest was sparked to read That Quail, Robert, because an adult friend of mine constantly is saying quotes from the book. I was surprised to find quite a lovely story about a mature couple and the tiny quail they raised. Robert befriended every human it met and as a reader, I was enchanted with his little personality. Prepare your heart, as the ending may bring tears. I loaned this book out and am replacing it, as the borrower asked to keep it. I will encourage my teacher-friends to read this to their 3rd-6th grade classes.

I read this as a girl, and randomly happened upon it at a used book store this week and purchased it for a dollar. It's one of a genre of books I think girls of a certain age read (I know I certainly did) about animals and their relationships with humankind. A charming, rather well written tale of a quail adopted by a family in Cape Cod.

THIS IS THE SWEETEST LITTLE STORY I'VE EVER READ AND TO KNOW THAT'S IT'S TRUE ONLY MAKES IT MORE SO. THIS LITTLE BIRD CAPTURED THE HEARTS OF THOSE AROUND HER FROM HER JOYFUL AND FUNNY ARRIVAL TO HER LOVING AND PEACEFUL END. FOR EVERYONE - A CHARMING, HEART-WARMING READ.