In addition to being an author and artist, Zickefoose is an experienced wildlife rehabilitator. From her home in southeast Ohio, she raises orphaned and injured birds. She also documents changes in the natural world on her property, keeping an eye on resident bobcats, deer and other wild animals.

“The things you can learn about a creature by living with it and bringing it up is limitless,” Zickefoose said. “Being its mama is a potent way to learn.”

Drawing on her personal experiences with wildlife, Zickefoose has written and illustrated five books to date. In addition to “Saving Jemima,” her books are “Natural Gardening for Birds,” “Letters from Eden: A Year at Home, in the Woods,” “The Bluebird Effect: Uncommon Bonds with Common Birds” and “Baby Birds: An Artist Looks Into the Nest.”

[Train gray jays to eat winter ticks? Why not?]

Countless birds flit throughout her writing and artwork, but Jemima is the only bird that Zickefoose has devoted an entire book to. She said it’s because the young blue jay left such an impression on her and her family.

“She had just a remarkable mind,” Zickefoose said. “She was social and intelligent. I could have written a nice little book about any number of birds, but this one really wound her way into my psyche and my life.”