Doveland — Martha Moore

Doveland is a story of World War I and its impact on a bird community. The story begins in May 1914, when a bevy of wild doves migrated to their beloved homeland of Belgium for their upcoming mating season. When the survival of their young becomes threatened by their most formidable predator, the hawk, their plans to return to southern France are thwarted by the onset of the invasion of Belgium. When Doveland is destroyed, there are only two survivors: a turtledove named Clovis, and a grouse named Homer. Together, these homeless fledglings embark on a crusade to help the allies (France and Great Britain) save their country the only way they know how -- through communication. Secretly dwelling alongside the allied trench lines, they set out on their own to intercept and destroy messages carried by enemy carrier pigeons. In 1919, Clovis returns to Doveland where he emerges as a leader that will inspire the doves to rise above their fears in their quest for survival.