Wounded falcons /

Enhanced descriptions from Syndetics:

A story about the heart-opening effect that taking care of a wounded creature has on a wounded boy, from acclaimed picture-book creators Jairo Buitrago and Rafael Yockteng.

Adrián is always in trouble, at school and at home, while Santiago gets along quite well. But they are friends. When Adrián finds a wounded bird in an abandoned lot in the midst of the city, things begin to change. Taking care of the bird, learning all about it, discovering that it is a falcon, loving it -- and accepting what this love means -- gives Adrián a chance to show others a glimpse of who he truly is. Santiago has always known that Adrián has a big heart, and his steadfast friendship is also the reason Adrián has a chance to heal.

Key Text Features

illustrations

Correlates to the Common Core State Standards in English Language Arts:

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.K.3
With prompting and support, identify characters, settings, and major events in a story.

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.K.6
With prompting and support, name the author and illustrator of a story and define the role of each in telling the story.

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.K.7
With prompting and support, describe the relationship between illustrations and the story in which they appear (e.g., what moment in a story an illustration depicts).

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.1.3
Describe characters, settings, and major events in a story, using key details.

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.1.4
Identify words and phrases in stories or poems that suggest feelings or appeal to the senses.

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.2.3
Describe how characters in a story respond to major events and challenges.

Reviews provided by Syndetics

Booklist 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 Adrián and Sebastian retreat to their own wonderland, an abandoned city lot, to rest and regroup. Adrián, 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 Adrián 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.

Kirkus Book Review

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, Adrián and Santiago walk away from a bad day at school. Adrián 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 Adrián climbs a tree, from which he spots the injured falcon. Concerned, Adrián decides to nurse it back to health. At the dinner table, he asks for advice from his mom, who instead lets Adrián know that she's heard about the bad day at school and his father "will give you what you deserve." No luck there. Still, Adrián 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. Adrián'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) Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.

Author notes provided by Syndetics

Jairo Buitrago is a children's book author who has collaborated with Rafael Yockteng on several picture books, including Jimmy the Greatest! (six starred reviews), Two White Rabbits (three starred reviews), Walk with Me (three starred reviews, Kirkus Prize shortlist), Lion and Mouse (two starred reviews) and most recently, Cave Paintings. They won the "A la Orilla del Viento" contest for the Spanish edition of Walk with Me, which was also named to IBBY's Honor List. Their books have also appeared on "Los mejores libros del año" (Venezuela's Banco del Libro), Kirkus Best Books, the Horn Book Fanfare and in the White Ravens Catalogue. Jairo has also won the Hispanoamericano Castillo prize for children's literature and the Antonio García Cubas Award. He lives in Mexico City.

Rafael Yockteng has illustrated many highly acclaimed children's books, including Sopa de frijoles / Bean Soup by Jorge Argueta (USBBY Outstanding International Books) and Jimmy the Greatest! (six starred reviews), Two White Rabbits(three starred reviews), Walk with Me (three starred reviews, Kirkus Prize shortlist) and On the Other Side of the Garden (three starred reviews) by Jairo Buitrago. Together, Jairo Buitrago and Rafael Yockteng have won the "A la Orilla del Viento" contest, and their books have been included on IBBY's Honor List, "Los mejores libros del año" (Venezuela's Banco del Libro), Kirkus Best Books, the Horn Book Fanfare and in the White Ravens Catalogue. Rafael lives in Bogotá.

Elisa Amado is a Guatemalan-born author and translator. She has written My Friend (Mi amiga), illustrated by Alfonso Ruano; Un Barrilete para el Día de los Muertos / Barrilete: A Kite for the Day of the Dead; Cousins (Primas), illustrated by Luis Garay; Tricycle (El triciclo), illustrated by Alfonso Ruano, which is on the Américas Award Commended List and is a USBBY Outstanding International Book; and What Are You Doing? and Why Are You Doing That?, both illustrated by Manuel Monroy. She lives in Toronto.