“Everyone say I love reading,” bird keeper Yvonne Patterson said.

“I love reading,” the audience replied.

Those were the magic words that caused Pinocchio, the smallest member of the toucan family, to emerge from an seemingly empty box. It was just one of the many bird tricks Patterson and her feathered friends had in store for hundreds of children and adults in attendance at a recent library Wednesday Blockbuster. 

Patterson has been a bird keeper since the age of 2 and has turned her passion into an educational and entertaining program called Wings of Love. 

Among the show’s stars was Patterson’s owl, Swoop, who flew across the auditorium. Her month-old owl melted hearts with his cuteness. 

While working as a horticulturist at a popular Kansas City attraction, Patterson began entertaining the public with her birds’ beauty and intelligence. She created a walk-through rain forest exhibit and trekked through rain forests to experience it all first hand. Yvonne has had many photographs and articles she’s written internationally published, according to her website.

Join us July 8 for  Mr. Stinky Feet at 9:30am, 11am and 7pm.