Gracie Feeds the Birds

On a crisp fall day, Gracie feeds the birds. She isn't sure if the day seems different to them. But it does to her.

She puts the seeds in the first feeder. Then the second. She thanks the birds one by one. A patient woodpecker. A buoyant chickadee. A grumpy finch. Even an impatient squirrel, not waiting his turn, always demanding more, more, more! (And a dog in the house who does not think the squirrel should be thanked-but Gracie knows gratitude goes both ways.) She makes sure every one of them gets a share-and her thanks just for being there.

From Jane Yolen and Peter Tacy comes a poetic, meditative look at how simple acts of gratitude and kindness can bring peace and joy to our day, even when the kindness isn't necessarily reciprocated. Gratitude can be found in giving as well as receiving. There is beauty in the small moments and something to be grateful for each day. A tiny act can change someone else's day-and sometimes the birdsong is thanks enough.