Wounded Falcons

Starred review from August 1, 2021
The unfortunate wounding of a falcon strengthens the bonds between two young boys in Buitrago and Yockteng's latest collaboration. A falcon springs up from a tree branch, soaring amid blue skies and white clouds. The rock comes from below and strikes the falcon's wing. The falcon falls to the ground below. Meanwhile, Adri�n and Santiago walk away from a bad day at school. Adri�n sports a black eye and a clenched fist, and Santiago, who "never has any problems," offers companionship. The friends go to an abandoned lot, where Santiago reads and Adri�n climbs a tree, from which he spots the injured falcon. Concerned, Adri�n decides to nurse it back to health. At the dinner table, he asks for advice from his mom, who instead lets Adri�n know that she's heard about the bad day at school and his father "will give you what you deserve." No luck there. Still, Adri�n looks over the falcon, taking the bird to the "old man who cures bones" and feeding and caring for the bird with the help of his friend. Adri�n's time with the falcon stirs something in him, something that Santiago has known was in him all along: a big heart. In Amado's translation, Mexico City-based Buitrago's words maintain a detached aloofness, masquerading the story's hints of darkness and brushes with pain in a straightforward yet lyrical tone. Overall, the text's cinematic in scope but intimate in its compassion. Colombian illustrator Yockteng's vivid artwork depicts a world in layers, with splatters of colors and intriguing details in the backgrounds that urge a second look. (This book was reviewed digitally.) A powerfully, even divinely told slice of life. (Picture book. 4-8)

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Starred review from September 1, 2021
Grades K-2 *Starred Review* In a wordless illustration, a soaring falcon is hit by a rock and tumbles to the ground, its wing wounded. Meanwhile, after a bad day at school, friends Adri�n and Sebastian retreat to their own wonderland, an abandoned city lot, to rest and regroup. Adri�n, sporting a black eye, spots the wounded creature in the brush and, sensing a kindred spirit, announces that he'll look after the bird. His parents are no help, as his mother is more concerned with the earlier trouble at school and threatens that his father will later give him what he deserves. But the boy is determined to help his wounded charge, and Sebastian connects him with a kind doctor. Though the old gentleman has never worked on a feathered patient, he dutifully binds the wing, and the boys return to their lot to continue nursing their charge. It's not just the falcon who transforms, however. Something in Adri�n begins to shift and heal, as well. The story is sparely and beautifully told, with surprising depth and nuance, and there are suggestions of deeper pain and development than the immediate story reveals. Yockteng's handsome illustrations are intimate and expressive, easily drawing readers into the plight of both the bird and the boy. A moving meditation on the transformative power of friendships in all different forms.

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