In a spare urban fable, Bob Graham brings us one small boy, one loving family, and one miraculous story of hope and healing.
"No... read full description
"No... read full description
reviews
Oct 09, 2008
Roxanne Hsu
rated it: 
Since I am not one who usually loves books with strong and obvious messages, I surprised myself for really liking this one. Why? First and foremost, I think it is because that there is a real plot and emotional arc in the telling of this gentle and simple story of hope. Hope in healing the wounds of the world (a page with the TV screen showing the current War in contrast with the family's loving care of the bird); hope in having our next generations to have compassion for the world around the
More...
2 comments
like
(5 people liked it)
Jan 26, 2011
Rose
rated it:
This is an early but strong contender for best bedtime story of 2010. The reader's heart absolutely falls and soars when the bird does. The graphic-novel-inspired illustration style gets the emotions of the bird across perfectly without resorting to personification. Any parent knows that every toddler would stop for every fallen bird; that familiarity and realism makes the story of the bird's plight hit home even harder. This nearly wordless, brief picture book made me cry. My four-year-old was
More...
0 comments
like
(2 people liked it)
Dec 13, 2011
Jen
rated it: 
This one surprised me. I ordered it for my littlest human, a curious mischief maker who will
paint his face with chocolate pudding or check to see if small pieces of playground rubber bits will fit up his nostril (yep, they will). He loves animals, especially frogs. And when I asked him what he wanted for Christmas he told me that he needed a skeleton to learn about bones. This is the kind of child that can scare a mother, just a little bit, but also make her heart swell with pride o More...
paint his face with chocolate pudding or check to see if small pieces of playground rubber bits will fit up his nostril (yep, they will). He loves animals, especially frogs. And when I asked him what he wanted for Christmas he told me that he needed a skeleton to learn about bones. This is the kind of child that can scare a mother, just a little bit, but also make her heart swell with pride o More...
28 comments
like
(11 people liked it)
Mar 08, 2009
Toby
rated it:
Cybils Award for Picture Book Fiction
The story begins on the end papers, where we see a pigeon flying near the page edge, tall buildings and then a wall of glass that foreshadow the first line of text: "High above the city, no one heard the soft thud of feathers against glass." A gray uncaring crowd walks past until our small hero, in a bright red jacket, struggles up the stairs from the subway. Hope is restored when a larger-than-life Will bends down and gently picks up t More...
The story begins on the end papers, where we see a pigeon flying near the page edge, tall buildings and then a wall of glass that foreshadow the first line of text: "High above the city, no one heard the soft thud of feathers against glass." A gray uncaring crowd walks past until our small hero, in a bright red jacket, struggles up the stairs from the subway. Hope is restored when a larger-than-life Will bends down and gently picks up t More...
0 comments
like
(1 person liked it)
Oct 25, 2011
Shanna
rated it:
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 More...
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 More...
Jun 24, 2011
Jane
rated it:
This book about a little boy who finds a wounded pigeon, takes it home, cares for it, then sets it free is truly sweet. There is very little text--so the story is told through the illustrations, which are visually poignant, and appealing. This is the best Bob Graham book I have read, and something I think little ones would want to read and look at many times over.
***
"Queenie, One of the family" is also by Graham, published in 1997. The story is fun, about the es More...
***
"Queenie, One of the family" is also by Graham, published in 1997. The story is fun, about the es More...
Dec 14, 2010
Barky
rated it:
Will is in the city with his mom when he finds a pigeon with a broken wing. He’s the only one who notices the bird at all. He and his mother gently scoop the bird up and carry it home where Will’s father helps him bandage its wing. They make it comfortable in a box, feeding it and caring for it. Will’s father brings home a cage, which they set up in a window so the pigeon can see outside. The wing heals slowly, and eventually the pigeon is able to fly again. Will and his family go back to
More...
May 21, 2009
JustOneMoreBook.com
rated it:
Airy illustrations and sparse poetic prose paint a poignant picture of hope, help and healing in this unspoken invitation to dare to care.
You can listen in on our chat about this book on our Just One More Book! Children's Book Podcast.
Other books mentioned:
“Let’s Get a Pup!” said Kate
Michael Rosen’s Sad Book
Six weeks ago yesterday, in Woodstock, Ontario, eight year old Victoria Stafford finished her school day ... then disappeared. As the day More...
You can listen in on our chat about this book on our Just One More Book! Children's Book Podcast.
Other books mentioned:
“Let’s Get a Pup!” said Kate
Michael Rosen’s Sad Book
Six weeks ago yesterday, in Woodstock, Ontario, eight year old Victoria Stafford finished her school day ... then disappeared. As the day More...
Jan 31, 2012
Katherine
rated it:
How To Heal A Broken Wing is so inspiring and as an adult, I got goose bumps and felt such strong emotion while reading this story. The story centers around a bird who falls to the ground from a broken wing and no one helps the bird...except for a young boy named Will. Will takes the bird home and cares for the bird and with lots of hope, the bird (spoiler alert) is able to fly again. This book is so powerful with only a few words. If a child can not read yet, the pictures are so detailed that i
More...
Dec 17, 2008
Sandy
rated it:
Beloved author and illustrator David Graham has produced yet another beautiful picture book. How to Heal a Broken Wing tells the story of a pigeon that falls out of the sky and lands in the middle of a busy city. No one seems to notice this poor bird, except for a little boy named Will. With the help of his mother he brings the bird home. Will and his parents nurse the bird back to health and mend its broken wing until finally the pigeon is able to fly away and rejoin the other birds in the wild
More...
0 comments
like
(1 person liked it)
Mar 24, 2009
Marjorie
rated it:
Maxine, 4, loves this book. I do too. It's a simple story of a boy who rescues a pigeon, But it's told with such poetic minimalism, and I love the illustrations, which are a mix of panels/small illustrations and full pages. The area in which the bird flies into the side of a glass building looks like the World Trade Center neighborhood. I don't know if it's supposed to, but to me it sure does. And a TV and newspaper in a couple of the illustrations show images of war. It's all kinda sad and reso
More...
0 comments
like
(1 person liked it)
Oct 02, 2008
Kate Hastings
rated it:
A boy notices an injured bird in the middle of a busy city sidewalk. He takes it home and nurses it to health. Bob Graham has wonderful, sweet pictures that make the story. I see a tie-in to character development/compassion/ecology.
0 comments
like
(2 people liked it)
Feb 10, 2011
Tatiana
rated it:
A sweet and sparse picture book where the powerful illustrations tell the entire story of healing and hope. Right when you open the book, you see a pigeon soaring through the clouds, then you turn the page before the actual book starts, and see the startling image of the pigeon crashing into a high rise building. What follows is the choice a young makes to take this fallen bird home and under his care, and the slow but hopeful days of healing shown in such beautiful detail in the illustrations.
More...
Jul 31, 2011
Jen
rated it:
CBA 2009 nominated picture book by Bob Graham has his usual quality illustrations. It tells the story of Will who tries to save a pigeon with a broken wing. He is helped by his parents who take the bird home, and look after it and feed it until the wing is mended. As the story progresses from the unconcern of the city dwellers about the fate of the bird, to the care lavished on the pigeon, the illustrations become lighter and brighter reflecting the hope that is the message of the story. An
More...
Feb 26, 2010
Tawnya
rated it:
This book really touched me, and I just couldn't keep the tears back. There are very little words, and the ones that are there are short and to the point. The illustrations are simple as well, but represent so many emotions and so much pain I could hardly stand it. It is sad when any living thing is neglected and in pain, and the bird in the story could have easily been replaced with a cat, dog, child, or neglected person of some kind. The child was not just healing the broken wing, but mending
More...
Jan 26, 2011
Lisa
rated it:
This author-illustrator seems to write and illustrate books with loving people and families who are animal friendly in various ways.
I just read 2 other picture books by this author-illustrator (and just now noticed that a 3rd book by him that I read recently was a sequel, and I haven’t read the first book). When I was alerted to the other two books I read today, I noticed that this book has been on my to-read shelf since November 23, 2008, so I reserved it at the library when I reser More...
I just read 2 other picture books by this author-illustrator (and just now noticed that a 3rd book by him that I read recently was a sequel, and I haven’t read the first book). When I was alerted to the other two books I read today, I noticed that this book has been on my to-read shelf since November 23, 2008, so I reserved it at the library when I reser More...
4 comments
like
(7 people liked it)
Dec 16, 2008
Sam
rated it:
I really loved this book. The text is sparse but beautiful, but the illustrations are superb. When Will and his mother bring the bird home for the first time, the imagery on that first full-page spread as the bird is placed into the shoebox - and the television shows a frame of fighter planes flying over a city, while on the wall above the TV three blue doves (at least I think they're doves) fly in the exact same formation - wow. It sounds heavy-handed, but Graham handles it perfectly.
May 05, 2009
Leigh
rated it:
The illustrations in this book are brilliant. A little boy is the only one who notices an injured pigeon and he persuades his family to take it in and heal it. The last picture, where the healed bird soars back into the sky is beautifully drawn and the story is quite moving. I would have given it 5 stars but in reality, it's very hard to heal injured birds and usually best left to an expert. Still, the message of compassion, set against a busy urban backdrop is a good message for our times.
Oct 27, 2010
Trying to figure out how many stars to give this one was hard.
The idea is WONDERFUL. WONDERFUL. One little boy stopped and thought about another creature and took the time to care for it and make sure it was OK.
Loved the illustrations. Pen and watercolor, I believe, but don't quote me on that.
In most cases, though, you wouldn't really want kids picking up injured birds, would you? Not going to become one of those people that gets ridiculous over little
The idea is WONDERFUL. WONDERFUL. One little boy stopped and thought about another creature and took the time to care for it and make sure it was OK.
Loved the illustrations. Pen and watercolor, I believe, but don't quote me on that.
In most cases, though, you wouldn't really want kids picking up injured birds, would you? Not going to become one of those people that gets ridiculous over little
Jul 27, 2009
Hajnal
rated it: 
When no one else bothers to notice, Will finds an injured pigeon lying on the sidewalk and takes it home to help it heal. Will and his family take care of the bird until he can learn to fly again on his own. This simply story transmits lessons of patience and love, and the pictures tell most of the story. This book is good for very early readers, with large illustrations take up most of the page, with roughly one sentence per page.
May 22, 2011
Dolly
rated it:
This is a sweet story with sparse narrative about caring for a bird with a broken wing. The message is nice, especially since it depicts one person who cares and makes a difference when so many others just walk on by. But I cringed at the idea of the little boy picking up a wild bird. I really hope he washed his hands thoroughly each time after he touched the bird. But that's just me being a silly old mom.
Mar 03, 2009
Tara
rated it:
Nice metaphor for healing in a picture book form. The story starts off kind of sad with a bird flying into a building and falling far down and no one noticed. Except one small boy who picked him up and brought him home. (Uh, EWWWW!!) I mean, I get it, but a pigeon, I just couldn't get over that. (I know that makes me pigeon biased since I like the Mo Willems' pigeon.)
Nov 01, 2011
Firstgradejags
rated it:
When we read this book we learned that sometimes an author can tell a story with just a few words. Most of the story is told through the pictures. We gave this story 5 stars because it's about a little boy who stops to help a bird when everyone else just walks on by. We think that little boy is nice and we would like to be friends with him because he is a caring person.
Feb 07, 2012
Jessica
rated it:
I like this book because it doesn't have many words and for a lot of children they can decide what the illustrations represent. More can be said about the page then is actually said! This can be involved in math as well because you can count the amount of people in the book or multiply the rows and columns for the older children!
Apr 11, 2010
Kathee
rated it:
Loved the spare prose, loved the illustrations! This book of few words tells the touching tale of a child who finds an injured bird that the people in the bustling city walk past without noticing. With the help of his parents, they care for the bird so it can heal and then they release it back into the air.
Sep 19, 2009
Kathryn
rated it:
Awesome awesome awesome! I found that this book is an extraordinary journey into a little boys love for birds! I loved the way the author framed him as the only one to care enough to take care of the little hurt bird. And, I really liked the accurate illustrations of poop on the statues!
Jan 30, 2011
Lydia
rated it:
This is such a beautiful book. It made me want to walk out of the College of Education and look for pigeons (you have to read the story to understand). I love the character Will. What a wonderful heart he has. Excellent writing to illustrate kindness and generosity.
Mar 23, 2009
Natalie
rated it:
Well, this isn't entirely wordless, but many of the pages are without text letting the illustrations carry the emotions of the story.
The title gives away most of the plot, a young boy finds a wounded bird in the city and takes it home to nurse it back to health.
Waiting, patience, and care are strong features of How to Heal a Broken Wing.
The title gives away most of the plot, a young boy finds a wounded bird in the city and takes it home to nurse it back to health.
Waiting, patience, and care are strong features of How to Heal a Broken Wing.
May 02, 2011
Christy
rated it:
Young Will lives in the city and noticed an injured pigeon that must have broken its wing. He takes it home and nurses it back to health. Will then releases the pigeon where he found it.
Themes: empathy; nature; helping others
Themes: empathy; nature; helping others
Aug 17, 2009
Jamie
rated it:
I liked this book a lot, the story was very sweet. I liked the setting in New York City, where people, and in this case birds can be lost in the crowd. Will is the empathatic hero , who appears in color when everyone else appears drab.
