Review - How to Heal a Broken Wing
Picture Books by Award Winning Author and Illustrator Bob Graham
Jan 17, 2009
How to Heal a Broken Wing (Walker Books, 2008) continues Bob Graham’s tradition of offering touching, simply told stories for young children that contain an encouraging message presented with light humour, often from the perspective of a child.
How to Heal a Broken Wing
When a bird flies into a mirrored building and falls from the sky, young Will is the only person in the busy crowd who notices or cares. He and his mother take the pigeon home to Will’s father and the three of them care for it, doing their best to help the bird heal so that it can be set free.
With very little text and Graham’s warm, distinctive illustrations, How to Heal a Broken Wing is a lovely story for young children about hope, patience and doing something to help others with no thought of compensation or reward.
Graham says that he wanted to write a story where hope was put in the hands of a child “because children are our future and our hope for a more caring world to come. When all of the world’s horror and inhumanity appears daily on the televisions in our living rooms, I wanted to show a human counterbalance to these things enacted in ordinary, everyday and seemingly insignificant events.”
Encouraging Stories for Children about Everyday Life
Bob Graham’s stories capture the humour and wonder of everyday life. In addition to the delightful How to Heal a Broken Wing, many of his previous books showcase a significant day or event in the life of child.
Many of Graham’s books lend themselves to classroom discussions with young children about the significance of being part of a family, the value of creating special memories from everyday life and the part each individual plays in creating celebrations and events that are meaningful. His illustrations capture the melting pot of occupations, ethnicities, homes and details that make each family unique and offer a gentle message of acceptance and tolerance.
Recommended titles for classroom activities or reading time between parents and children include:
- Oscar’s Half Birthday (Walker Books, 2005) – Oscar’s parents and sister Millie can’t wait for him to turn one before they celebrate his birthday, so they have a special half birthday (6 month) celebration picnic at a local park. The casual portrayal of Oscar and Millie’s biracial family and the community feel as other visitors to the park join the family celebrations offer a range of discussion points for teachers.
- Queenie the Bantam (Walker Books, 1997) – Caitlin and her parents rescue a hen from a lake. They take her home, name her and eventually take her to a local farm, but even though she has gone, she holds a special place in the family circle.
- “Let’s Get a Pup!” (Candlewick Press, 2001) – Kate and her parents decide to get a dog from the local shelter, but they find it hard to decide between an adorable puppy and the large, gentle older dog.
- Max (Walker Books, 2000) – Max’s parents are superheroes, but Max doesn’t seem to have any special powers until he discovers he can fly when he rescues a bird one day. Max is destined to be a small hero, doing small deeds. “The world needs more of those.” says his mum.
Quality and Enjoyable Books for Young Readers
In addition to the recent 2009 Charlotte Zolotow award from the Cooperative Children’s Book Center, Bob Graham has received awards for several of his titles, including four Picture Book of the Year Awards from the Children’s Book Council of Australia.
How to Heal a Broken Wing offers parents and teachers yet another Bob Graham title to create opportunities for fun reading time at home and valuable classroom discussions.
How to Heal a Broken Wing (ISBN: 978-1-4063-0716-0)
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