A blue rubber albatross, misshapen and intended for the toy factory bin heap, was rescued and taken home by a worker and given to his young son. Carried to the beach by the boy one summer day, the boy laid the blue rubber albatross down on the sand and wandered away, playing, forgetting all about the toy he left behind. The blue rubber albatross is forgotten until a storm comes one day and sweeps it into a water cave at the back of the beach where it floats about, learning things about life. Time goes by. Then a wounded, bird lands on the back of the blue rubber albatross and falls asleep from exhaustion. The blue rubber albatross dances about madly in the water, learning to stretch its stubby wings to keep the tired bird balanced on its back. In days, the bird heals and leaves. But the blue rubber albatross has changed. Now it has a heart. And more. Time passes again. Then a sudden storm comes while the boy is playing on the beach. The boy is swept into the water cave, finds the blue rubber albatross, and clings to it for dear life. Suddenly a wave tosses the boy and the blue rubber albatross back out onto the beach. The storm ends. The boy's father finds him and takes him home, leaving the blue rubber albatross alone on the beach again. But the blue rubber albatross now has a heart that beats in rhythm with the stars above and the oceans roaring tides. It is not afraid of the vast world it lives in any more. One day the bird that lit on its back in the cave comes for a visit and they fly away together. A tender and touching children's novel. For the young at heart reader. 22 pages long.
