Mother Fantail dreams of raising a happy family, and carefully prepares her nest, while Rat sniffs around for dinner. What will happen when their paths cross? A beautifully illustrated story about a mother bird who works hard to prepare her nest and protect her young from predators. "Peek into the heart of New Zealand's lush landscape in this riveting tale of survival and suspense. A fierce mother fantail zealously guards her nest of eggs against scavenging rats, each scene created in contrast, its snippets of colour set against shades of black and gray and featuring a bevy of native flowers, plants, animals, and insects. The future of the eggs is uncertain, and the expressively concise narrative creates an evocative action sequence in the wild." --Foreword Reviews (U.S.) "Honored as a finalist for a New Zealand illustration award when it was first published in 2012, this story of determined bird parents can nest safely on American nature shelves as well." --Kirkus Reviews (U.S.)