It's a story we've seen many times: an character seems like they aren't capable of doing something. In this case, we have a baby bird with a deformed wing. Generally these stories take the perspective that you can achieve anything if you try hard enough. Or, occasionally, that you might have to take a different approach but that you CAN do it. Gibb's story looks at the issue from a different perspective. No matter what Baby Bird tries, he simply cannot fly. His body is not capable of that task. Instead, he has to change his idea of what it means to be a bird. He has to change his entire world view. Baby's friend never tells him not to try. He helps and encourages Baby. And then he shows him another way to be a bird, how to work with his limitations instead of in spite of them. And that is a valuable message for a young audience.
Advanced Reader Copy provided by NetGalley
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