The kindness of birds / Merlinda Bobis.

Front Cover -- About the Author -- Title Page -- Copyright -- Dedication -- Contents -- O Beautiful Co-Spirit -- When the Crow Turns White -- The Kindness of Birds -- The Air of the Times -- Candido's Revolution -- My Tender Tender -- My Father's Australia -- Naming the Flowers -- The Sleep of Apples -- My Love, My Nerūsē -- Singing Back -- Grandma Owl -- Angels -- Ode to Joy -- Acknowledgements.

An oriole sings to a dying father. A bleeding-heart dove saves the day. A crow wakes a woman's resolve. Owls help a boy endure isolation. Cockatoos attend the laying of the dead. Always there are birds in these linked stories that pay homage to kindness amidst loss, grief, discord and displacement, from Australia to the Philippines.