As we think about how to foster empathy in children, what better animal to highlight than a small, injured bird. Who could resist helping one? I know I couldn’t!
How to Heal a Broken Wing
Author & Illustrator: Bob Graham
Publisher/Date: Candlewick Press/2008
Ages: 3-7
Themes: injured pigeon, empathy, animal rescue, letting go
Short Synopsis (from Goodreads):
In a spare urban fable, Bob Graham brings us one small boy, one loving family, and one miraculous story of hope and healing.
“No one saw the bird fall.”
In a city full of hurried people, only young Will notices the bird lying hurt on the ground. With the help of his sympathetic mother, he gently wraps the injured bird and takes it home. In classic Bob Graham style, the beauty is in the details: the careful ministrations with an eyedropper, the bedroom filled with animal memorabilia, the saving of the single feather as a good-luck charm for the bird’s return to the sky. Wistful and uplifting, here is a tale of possibility — and of the souls who never doubt its power.
Read a review at Kirkus Reviews.
The Scarecrow
Author: Beth Ferry
Illustrator: The Fan Brothers
Publisher/date: HarperCollins Children’s Books/2019
Ages: 4-8
Themes: scarecrow, injured crow, seasons, friendship, animal rescue, rhyming
Short Synopsis (from Goodreads):
All the animals know not to mess with old Scarecrow. But when a small, scared crow falls from midair, Scarecrow does the strangest thing. . . .
Bestselling author Beth Ferry and the widely acclaimed Fan Brothers present this tender and affectionate tale that reminds us of the comforting power of friendship and the joy of helping others.
Read a review at Gathering Books and a guest post and cover reveal by Beth Ferry at Mr. Schu Reads.
I paired these books because they both involve injured birds who are helped by a friend. In How to Heal a Broken Wing, that friend is a small boy, the only one who notices it on a busy street and convinces his parents to help him save it. With the family’s loving care, the pigeon recovers to fly off with the other birds, leaving the boy sad, but also hopeful. In The Scarecrow, the scarecrow stands alone, friendless, scaring off the animals, until a baby crow falls near him. Uncharacteristically, the scarecrow saves the baby crow. The two become friends until, like the pigeon, the healed crow flies off. There the two books diverge, but I won’t spoil the ending of The Scarecrow for you. You’ll have to read it to find out – I highly recommend that you do!
Wander, Ponder, Write 