At the end of chapter 8, titled “The Brown Pelican,” Doug Swieteck concludes that his brother Christopher is like the Brown Pelican in that both are balanced and stable. Doug makes this comparison when he hears a report from Mr. Daugherty, whose children he had been watching. Doug had enlisted Christopher’s aid during a medical crisis, and he concludes that his brother, who is sometimes unkind, has handled the situation well.

While Doug was spending the afternoon caring for the Daugherty children, he realized that Joel Daugherty was having an asthma attack and needed medical attention. Thinking quickly on his feet, he also realized that he could not leave the other children alone while he rushed Joel to the doctor. He called Christopher, who came over and watched the other children while Doug took Joel to the Bottoms’ house. Doug knew that his friend Otis Bottom’s father was a doctor, and fortunately Dr. Bottom was at home.

Once the crisis is resolved, Mr. Daugherty drives Doug home. He tells him that when he returned to his home, he found Christopher asleep on the couch with the children piled on top of him. This observation leads Doug to associate his brother with the stability of the pelican. Doug bases his assessment of the bird on the Audubon print he saw in Principal Peattie’s office.