Cybils Picture Book Winner 2009

I know. I know I'm really, really late reviewing the Cybils picture book award winner, How to Heal a Broken Wing. I have to say the engagingly illustrated episodes by Bob Graham make this heartwarming book a childhood treasure.

Do you remember taking in a wild animal, maybe say a bird that flew into your sliding glass door and was seriously injured? Recollections of caring for a scared animal in a cardboard box and nursing it back to health connects adults, children and wildlife. We nurture and we let go. It's about how we bond with animals and each other. And how we need to take care of one another. Each creature plays a very special and sacred role in the web of life.

" A lose feather can't be put back ... but a broken wing can sometimes heal. With rest... and time... and a little hope... a bird may fly again."

That may be the bulk of the text right there but not at all the bulk of the story. Bob Graham brilliantly captures the actions and emotions of a boy and his parents as they find and take in a city pigeon with a broken wing that would otherwise have been left to die, ignored and stepped over in the big city. You must suspect the bird heals. It does, and this story is an uplifting allegorical tale for all ages.

Award-winning Australian author/illustrator Bob Graham says he didn't start writing/ illustrating books for children until he was out of a job due to illness but that drawing has always been a constant theme in his life. He is gifted with taking otherwise everyday events and making them interesting to kids. Great job Cybils judges! How to Heal a Broken Wing is precious!