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by Dave Bowles (Author)
Mato (from the Sioux name meaning "strong Bear) is a rebellious little mockingbird that doesn't like his parent's dull gray feathers and little round head. He wants a proud crest and bright feathers like the blue jay and cardinal. Even worse, he sees the blue jay getting tasty bugs under the bark while his parents only bring him boring spiders and worms. He feels dull and gray, just like mom and dad. As he announces that he doesn't want to be like them, the bully of the backyard, the blue jay hears this and tells the rest of the backyard birds Mato's dreams. This leads to taunting by the other backyard birds, including the robin, who even has an orange breast to be proud of. The frustration continues as a colorful flock of cedar waxwings migrates through the backyard, telling great adventures of exotic places they have seen. Alas, Mato's mother has never seen the Faraway Place since mockingbirds don't migrate, adding to the disappointment of Mato. Mato's father only cares about teaching him how to sing, and constantly exhorts Mato to be a proud mockingbird. Mato isn't interested in singing, and certainly doesn't seem to have anything to be proud of. The lowliest of the backyard birds, the sparrow, continually reminds Mato that he is unique and special, but Mato isn't listening. But one day a cat threatens the backyard, causing Mato's parents to bravely attack the car and scare him away while the rest of the birds simply watch, because they are too afraid. Mato sees this, and begins to realize, slowly, that his dull and gray feathers might not be so bad after all. Finally, Mato grows up, learns to fly, and is ready to leave the backyard. He does, with great encouragement from his parents and the sparrow, and a few sneers from the blue jay. As he searches for the faraway place, he becomes lonely for home and stops for a rest. He finds new friends, and discovers that he is also brave like his parents. The new friends welcome him into their fold, but he tells them he must leave, because he must find the faraway place. As he sings them a farewell song, Mato is challenged by someone who knows his songs and can actually sing them a little better. This makes him angry, so he looks for the singer, only to discover that it is a female mockingbird, with the most beautiful gray feathers. He and Aponi challenge each other at first, but then realize they are enjoying each other's company. They fly in tandem, beautifully arching and diving and swooping together, and then singing beautiful songs that only they can sing. This makes the bullying mockingbird quite jealous, but he is no match for Aponi, who has a solution for him that will allow Mato and Aponi to enjoy their new life together in a better place than anything Mato ever imagined the faraway place could ever be..
