The Family Bookshelf
By Bob Walch
 "How to Heal a Broken Wing"
(Candlewick Press) by Bob Graham
The Audience: For children ages 3 to 9 who love animals, especially birds. (40 pages)
The Issue: A bird hits a skyscraper window and plummets to the ground with a broken wing. It lies on the sidewalk ignored by everyone who passes by.
The Content: When the youngster in this picture book discovers the injured bird, he takes it home to his apartment in the city, where he and his mother and father nurture the bird back to health. Then, although it is painful to say good-bye, the little boy sets his new feathered friend free.
Bob Graham writes of his story that his intent was to "show that there is still hope in the coming generation of children who have curiosity and empathy with the world around them".
The Message: This wonderful story of hope and healing shows that a caring child and supportive family can work miracles.
Before retiring, Bob Walch taught English in Santa Barbara and Carmel for 39 years. His reviews of children's literature appear in Central Coast newspapers and on line at the Reading Tub, Roundtable Reviews, My Shelf and Parent Click. |
