The Enchantment of Golden Eagle by Margaret Wild illustrated by Stephen Michael King

Margaret Wild: ‘I hope readers will understand that people can say something in anger (in this case, the curse put on the bird). And that those words can be regretted and forgiven. It would be good if this story can open up discussions about consequences, atonement and, especially forgiveness, because if we can forgive, there is the possibility that things can change for the better.’  Interview with Dr Robyn Sheahan-Bright (see the Teachers Notes)

After reading The Enchantment of Eagle here are some questions that occurred to me:

• Can you ever really 'own' a wild creature? 
• Did the eagle owe an extra loyalty to the family because they saved him when he was just a fledgling?
• Do you understand why the eagle needed to fly away?
• What is a curse?
• Should you always keep your promises? 
• What is guilt? 
• How do you repair a relationship when words are spoken in anger? 
• Why is it important to say sorry and how to you express this from your heart?
• Why are wolves always representative of danger?
• Think about feeling safe and unsafe and how this is explored in this book

Think about the title - enchantment - that is such a powerful word. It implies magic and has overtones of the fairy tale genre. And Margaret Wild writes of Golden Eagle not 'the' golden eagle. Is this a unique creature with magical qualities? Then we have the word golden. This implies precious and wise and important.

Symbolism of the golden eagle: The golden eagle is a powerful symbol that encompasses a wide range of meanings, including strength, freedom, ... and resilience. Its significance varies across cultures, but it consistently represents the ideals of power, guidance, and the ability to rise above challenges. Whether viewed as a divine messenger or a symbol of personal growth, the golden eagle holds a revered place in the spiritual and cultural narratives of many societies. Source

You will find some beautiful vocabulary when you share this book with your library group or young reading companion - fledgling; venture; gazed; summoned; exhilarating; "he batted about'; enfold; curse; pitiless; hollowed-out; tattered; rejoicing; and larking about.

Publisher blurb: One day, Ella and her little brother Leif found a fledgling with a broken wing. They took him home, wrapped and fed him, and watched over him for seven days and seven nights. In time Golden Eagle was well enough to fly away, but he loved the children, so he promised to stay with them at the edge of the dark forest. Until one day, the wind whispered and the breeze caressed his feathers, and Golden Eagle forgot his promise ...

The publisher links the themes in The Enchantment of Golden Eagle with another award-winning book by Margaret Wild - Fox - illustrated by Ron Brooks. With a group of older students, it would be good to compare these two books - read them side by side - and then talk about themes such as guilt; fear; promises; betrayal; and forgiveness. The Enchantment of Golden Eagle is one of those multilayered stories that you could share with your younger students and then also discuss with an older group. I would then pick up Robber Girl by Margaret Wild as another example of a text which showcases Margaret Wild's skill with writing.

The publisher page has a link to some detailed teachers notes. 

A new book by Margaret Wild is certainly something to celebrate. She has written well over 70 books and even at age 76 does not seem set to stop. I expect to see The Enchantment of Golden Eagle listed by the CBCA as a 2026 notable title. 

Read some reviews:

The publisher marks this as suitable for readers 7 to 12, older than the typical picture book market, and online Teaching Notes offer suggestions up to Year 6. This is valuable recognition of the potential of picture books to inspire rich learning well beyond the formative literacy stage. Story Links

Interview with Paperbark Word (Joy Lawn) I love the word “enchantment”. As you say, it is so evocative.  With its associations of spells, magic and mystery, I hope it will spark a reader’s curiosity to open the book and read on.

Highly recommended for all! Kids' Book Review

This is a compelling story that will have the reader turning the pages to the end so they can discover whether the eagle, seen by many cultures as a symbol of strength and freedom, survives the curse, whether it returns and what happens next. The Bottom Shelf

This is a gentle book that reminds us about forgiveness and letting go and loving what you have in life. The Book Muse

From Stephen Michael King: Golden Eagle is my seventh book with Margaret Wild. You might remember the piglet series: Piglet and Mama, Piglet and Papa – then there’s the pocket dogs (everyone’s favourite books). Margaret Wild was instrumental in turning me into a published author/illustrator (with my first book, “The Man Who Loved Boxes”), so it’s always a giant privilege to work with her. 35 plus years ago – when I was working as a General Library assistant, I created a display of her and Julie Vivas’s book “The Very Best of Friends”. I’ve loved Margaret Wild’s work from that very first visual.

Other books by Margaret Wild with art by Stephen Michael King:

And two sequels

Stand on the Sky by Erin Bow

"Aisulu's family had always kept eagles: her oldest uncle had hunted with eagles, and her grandfather, and her great grandfather. Her people were nomads who moved with their hers across the mountains of Western Mongolia, and their life could be harsh. And yet it was glorious, and it was sweet, and it had eagles. ... In the fall they went to the Eagle Festival and came home with medals and honour."

"She did not look like an eagle hunter, in a dark thing with bright stitches. She did not look like a poor girl, with a small frame and chopped hair. She looked like something brand new. She looked like a hero. She looked as if she could stand on the sky."

Here are the opening scenes from Stand on the sky:

"There was no sign of Serik's horse. Aisulu and her brother, Serik, had searched for almost two hours ... Above them the sky was high and huge and bright, wheeled with birds."

"Serik stood with his head tipped back. He was watching the birds circling overhead. They were huge and black against the sky, a pair of golden eagles."

The pair of eagles are out collecting food for their newly hatched chicks. The children climb higher into the mountains looking for the lost horse but in the meantime a storm is gathering. A dangerous storm. Luckily, they find a stone shrine which gives them a place to shelter.

"Skerik was wearing a sweatshirt and a denim jacket and jeans and sneaker with the Velcro worn out. Aisulu's hand-me-down shapan was just corduroy and felt padding ... Neither of them was dressed well enough to survive a blizzard and they both knew that."

The children do survive and so do their horses but:

"Something was wrong. She looked down the northern slope. She saw the meadow blazing white, shadowless. Then she saw that scattered across the hard snow were birds. ... They were all dead. They were all dead, hundreds of them, scattered everywhere."

And among the dead birds the children see the golden eagle feeding on the little dead song birds. Sereik decides he can catch this eagle but as he attempts this he breaks his leg. Aisulu knows Sereik's secret. His leg is not just broken - he is unwell. Aisulu has to get her brother back to their camp. She knows she is leaving the eagle to die but what about those chicks?

You can read more plot details following links below but I really suggest reading this book first so you can let this engrossing story unfold as a wonderful reading experience. I will make special mention of one memorable character though - the wife of her Uncle Dulat - she is from a different ethnic group and is called Fox Wife. Her kindness towards Aisulu is a part of this story that lingers with me. Stand on the sky is another of the books I read on my recent holiday on a Kindle. 

On my flight while I read this book the airline kept showing an advertisement featuring footage from the documentary The Eagle Huntress. Just as aside I have no idea about the name of the bank even though I watched this advertisement multiple times on four different flights. It felt a little strange to be reading a book with the same setting and plot as the advertisement. At the time I did not know the ad was using footage from the documentary The Eagle Huntress (see images below). 

Publisher blurb: It goes against all tradition for Aisulu to train an eagle, for among the Kazakh nomads, only men can fly them. But everything changes when Aisulu discovers that her brother, Serik, has been concealing a bad limp that risks not just his future as the family's leader, but his life too. When her parents leave to seek a cure for Serik in a distant hospital, Aisulu finds herself living with her intimidating uncle and strange auntie — and secretly caring for an orphaned baby eagle. To save her brother and keep her family from having to leave their nomadic life behind forever, Aisulu must earn her eagle’s trust and fight for her right to soar. Along the way, she discovers that family are people who choose each other, home is a place you build, and hope is a thing with feathers.

In the interest of a balanced review please read these comments by Kirkus about this book and the involvement of women in eagle hunting. Putting this to one side, though, I thoroughly enjoyed Stand on the sky and I would put aside the issues of gender and just cheer Aisulu and her heroism to save and train this young eagle and her amazing courage to compete against older and more experienced hunters. 

As I mentioned you may have seen the 2016 movie documentary The Eagle Huntress - here are two images from the movie:

(This) is a story of strength, courage, and resilience that will resonate with anyone who has ever felt abandoned, alone, or doubted themselves and their place in the world. While researching the book, Bow spent a summer living with a Kazakh eagle hunter and his family and enlisted the help of Kazakh readers to ensure she got things right. Her writing is both lively and elegant, drawing the reader along on Aisulu’s quest and building toward the moment when she will learn if she has what it takes to be a true burkitshi. Bow delivers a jubilant tale that celebrates the power of family, love, and young women. Quill and Quire

Read this review for full details of the plot (warning this does contain spoilers)

Readers will love the relationship between Aisulu and her eagle Toktar. They will love the connection between girl and bird and reading about how the two learn together and grow together. It’s simply a beautiful story masterfully told, from beginning to end. Pamela Kramer

Ms Yingling also loved this book.

Here is a CBC interview with Erin Bow and audio interview when she ran the Governor General award. And here are some discussion questions. Read an extract from the book here. 

Awards for Stand on the sky:

• Winner, Governor General’s Award for Young People’s Literature — Text, 2019
• Short-listed, Rocky Mountain Book Award (Alberta Children’s Choice), 2021
• Short-listed, IODE Canada Violet Downey Award, 2020
• Short-listed, Ruth and Sylvia Schwartz Award, 2020
• Commended, Best Books for Kids and Teens, Canadian Children's Book Centre, 2019
• Commended, OLA Best Bets, 2019

Companion book:

Running on the roof of the world

Here is a previous book by Erin Bow that I really enjoyed:

Simon sort of Says

Waiting for Anya by Michael Morpurgo

The setting for this book is the village in Lescun in France. This is a small town located near the Spanish border. The location is so important because from here one man, with the help of a network, is smuggling Jewish children across the border to safety. No one in the village knows about this until Jo stumbles on the remote farm house where he finds a small shoe and sees two little eyes peeking out at him from behind a haystack in the barn.

Jo is charged by Widow Horcada to keep this vital secret but then the German soldiers arrive in the village and the danger escalates.

"Jo was so occupied with this thoughts as he made his way home that he took no notice at all of the empty, silent streets; but as he reached the Square his thoughts were rudely interrupted. The whole village was standing hushed and unmoving like mourners at a funeral. ... An armoured truck stood in the centre of the Square with four soldiers in black uniforms and shining helmets sitting erect in the back of it."

This book was first published in 1990 but it is still available. I picked up a copy at a recent charity book sale. Right up until page 160 of the 170 pages I was ready to list this book for Middle Grade readers then the story events took a terrible turn and I can see why this book was listed as an ALA Best Book for Young Adults. I vividly remember the first "children's book" I read where a loved character was killed. Spoiler alert - the final scenes when young Hubert is shot could be very distressing for some students and even worse Benjamin and little Leah are captured and later we learn they perish in Auschwitz. This book is so short that you might think it is a junior book about WWII but recommend mature readers aged 11+. Here is the web site for Michael Morpurgo. Listen to an audio sample here. You can read a generous text extract here. Michael Morpurgo has written many other books with a WWII setting. 

I included lots of covers above because I do think it is interesting to discuss cover designs with students. Waiting for Anya was shortlisted for the Carnegie Medal and Guardian Fiction award.

While harrowing journeys like these have become familiar, this particular story achieves special resonance in its depiction of the innocent and guilty living side by side, settling into uneasy alliances and learning the lessons of war that leave none untouched. Kirkus

In 2020 this book was made into a movie.

Companion books for middle grade readers:

Belle and Sebastien

The Little Riders

What about Me?

Beyond Belief