The Song of the Cardinal (New and Revised Edition)

141 pp. Color frontispiece and plates (11 total), 5 black-and-white photographic plates. "The Song of the Cardinal" by Gene Stratton-Porter is the story of a big male Cardinal bird in the Wabash Valley, Indiana. Living in a tree near the home of a farmer and his wife, the bird sings with passion and joie de vivre to attract a mate, which he finds, and a charming romance develops. Unfolding at a leisurely pace, the story portrays the varied natural settings of the region in a most engaging way. The theme of nature and mankind's responsibility to care for it is present throughout the narrative. Stratton-Porter was a popular author, best known for A Girl of the Limberlost, which was one of eight of her novels adapted to film. She also had regular columns in McCall's and Good Housekeeping.