With Just One Wing by Brenda Woods (review)

Reviewed by: With Just One Wing by Brenda Woods Jessie Maimone Woods, Brenda With Just One Wing. Paulsen, 2024 176p Trade ed. ISBN 9780593461532 17. 99 E-book ed. ISBN 9780593461549 10. 99 Reviewed from digital galleys R Gr. 4-6 Coop is looking forward to a summer full of fun, but when he tumbles from a tree as he tries to check in on nesting birds in his grandparent's backyard, he's stuck in a cast and healing from a concussion, hoping to soon go back to his favorite End Page 301 activities. Meanwhile, one of the birds from the nest is born with only one wing, and Coop and his grandparents' neighbor, Zandi, decide to adopt the bird, which they lovingly name Hop because he hops instead of flies. Coop knows all about being adopted because his parents adopted him, yet as Coop and Zandi take care of little Hop, Coop comes to understand more about adoption as he deals with the possibility of giving Hop up so the bird can have a better life. The story offers an opportunity for readers to better understand adoption along with Coop and to expand notions of what it means to be a family. Coop learns how to share the responsibilities of caring for Hop with Zandi, the importance of having trusting adults in his life, and makes a new friend who can introduce him to other kids his age interested in bird watching. The chapters are short and include various adults teaching Coop and Zandi new words that readers can add to their own vocabularies, making it an accessible read for struggling readers. While everything doesn't work out exactly how Coop hopes, the story ends with him believing he's done the right things for both himself and his bird friend. Includes a note from the author. Copyright © 2024 The Board of Trustees of the University of Illinois