The Sparrow's Song

Joan McGrath is a Toronto Board of Education library consultant.

Her brother Charles has killed a sparrow with his slingshot. Now Katie is carefully rearing its orphaned fledgling, and refuses to let Charles come near it. Charles comes to realize the wanton cruelty of his action, and is truly sorry: so Katie relents. They share the task of feeding the sparrow, and soon face the bittersweet moment when the now-mature bird must be set free. Now they see the sparrow in every bird that soars.

Gorgeous colour plates bring an unspoiled Niagara Falls to life as a background to this charming tale; in addition, each page is decorated with the meticulously observed wildflowers of Ontario.