Customer Reviews

How to Heal a Broken Wing

5 star:		(7)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

The premise is simple. A young boy, Will, finds an injured bird unnoticed by everyone else in the big city. He and his mother take it home to nurse it back to health, and with a lot of love, care, and hope, the bird flies again. The text is sparse, yet powerful, and the soft and richly detailed illustrations of Will caring for the bird add an inspirational and heartwarming tone.

But what is best about this book is that it's about much more than a boy caring for an injured bird. It's about hope, dedication, healing, recovery, and beating the odds. But don't worry...the beauty of the book is that it does not contain "in-your-face" messaging. It's subtle yet powerful for those who may be seeking a little comfort. I shed a tear or two reading the book and would recommend giving it to anyone who has had or is going through a rough patch in their lives. This is one of the books that I think should be in everyone's library, not just a child's library. I highly highly recommend it!

It was the city and no one ever seems to notice anything there because with their fast paced lives they didn't have the time and so when the little pigeon injured himself flying into a glass window, no one noticed . . . except Will. He was trying to reach for the bird, but his mother appeared to be trying to hold him back. He finally got to him and his mother helped wrap him in a scarf to take him home.

You can't put back a feather, but sometimes a broken wing can be healed. Mom and Dad carefully placed the pigeon in a box. The pigeon had a splint on his wing. Will was going to count down the days on his calendar, but would the bird get better? Only time would tell and then he would know if the bird would ever fly again.

This charming and heartwarming book is a Red Clover nominee for the 2009-10 academic year. The dialogue is minimal, but the detailed artwork relays this story to the heart much more than any words could convey. The only thing left out is a rocking chair and a young child to share this lovely book with!

Another good book from Bob Graham. This is a touching book with sparse text, the pictures tell the story. If you read 'Let's Get a Pup, Said Kate' and enjoyed it, you will appreciate this book even more. A warm tale pointing out that sometimes it doesn't really take much to make a real difference. Perhaps we should pause and notice a little more.

This is a very sweet story of how a boy nurses a little bird back to health. The story is simple... simple enough for a very young child and with few enough words to pacify even the eager page-turners... but for those with a bit of patience, the illustrations let the wonderer wander through slowly. Each page has multiple pictures on it. There are some pages with no words and the story develops in the illustrations. The story and the illustrations are darling, inspiring, and possible.

Another good book from Bob Graham. This is a touching book with sparse text, the pictures tell the story. If you read 'Let's Get a Pup, Said Kate' and enjoyed it, you will appreciate this book even more. A warm tale pointing out that sometimes it doesn't really take much to make a real difference. Perhaps we should pause and notice a little more.

This poignant book tells the story of young Will and his parents, who find a hurt pigeon outside the subway and bring it home to care for it until it can fly again. The story is deceptively simple, but is presented with a depth of empathy that provokes reflection.

It isn't quite a wordless book, but artistically it's as good as one. Graham tells his story primarily through a skillful handling of perspective, color, and light, with comic-strip style inset frames to move story events along. His artistic style is reminiscent of Peter Spier's, with clean lines, simple colors, and good attention to human detail. His crowd scenes are large, filling the page with the masses of anonymous humanity, but each of his figures has a personality distinct from the others.

The story's greatest appeal may come from its gentle, nurturing family unit. Their warmth and security are conveyed through the parents' body language, the juxtaposition of their small home against the city skyscrapers, and the furnishings of their home, lined with child-bookcases, toys and child-art. They are supportive, generous, and compassionate, and their love overflows to the small creature temporarily sheltered in their home.

There is also a beautiful theme of taking responsibility for the creatures in our world, even in the heart of the big city. This will resonate with families who are passionate about biblical environmental stewardship (Genesis 1:28). The thought probably wasn't in the mind of the author, but a child who has read this book will bring a fresh understanding to Jesus' words about how God cares for even the most insignificant birds (Matthew 10:29-31). It's probably best for a preschool and early-elementary audience.

this is a lovely book, If you have a child that likes to interact and help with the story, this is the book. beautifully illustrated and the hero is what we all want our children (grandchildren) to do. Just enough words to carry the story. Nice size and format for younger children. sometimes big pictures, sometimes smaller and this makes for interest to stay up. this would be a good Birthday or Xmas present for a 3 - 6 year old.

As an elementary school counselor, I'm always reading stories showing kindness towards others. Well, that kindness doesn't just entail people.....it includes being caring to the world around us. Kids LOVE to be encouraged to be helpers. Sometimes I will see students going out of their way to meet the needs that arise around them. How to Heal a Broken Wing reminds me of those moments.

I love how the story starts.....with everyone walking the city streets too busy to notice an injured bird on the sidewalk. Well, everyone except a child named Will. He's a total hero in my opinion, so full of care, heart, and concern. Oh, and by the way, this is one of those reads where there is total silence in the room. The students are touched by Will as he helps the bird heal. He is setting a wonderful example for children that they have the power to do good deeds. A lot of students brought up the book Have You Filled a Bucket Today? by Carol McCloud. They commented how all living things have buckets, not just people. Sigh. I think there is a lot to explore in this book. It's new to my shelf, but I'm already letting the students thoughts and comments do the leading. You'll also love how the illustrations do the storytelling.