Broken Beaks by Nathaniel Lachenmeyer illustrated by Robert Ingpen

"Then, one morning the young sparrow awoke to discover that his beak had broken while he slept. It does not happen often, but sometime a sparrow's beak will break. No one knows how or why it happens. It just does."

Now it is so difficult for the young sparrow to pick up crumbs dropped by people at the cafe. Sadly, the other sparrow are either frightened of him, or suspicious of him while others are sure someone else will help the young sparrow. The people are no better. To their eyes this bird looks dirty and ugly. 

Luckily along comes a compassionate stranger - a homeless man. 

"He was thin and dirty. He had a bushy beard and long scraggly hair, and he talked to himself. The sparrow could tell from his voice that he was sad and lonely."

"Looking closely at the stranger, the young sparrow realised that they were alike. He somehow knew that the stranger also had a broken beak- only his beak was on the inside, where you couldn't see it. ... Like the sparrow, the stranger couldn't help that his beak was broken."

Now go back and think about the title - broken beaks. The bird has a broken beak and so does the man but readers should also think about the reactions of others (bird and human) - how we view others who are different, or who need compassion. 

The final scene in this book is sure to break your heart. This book has a personal connection with the author. 

Blurb: A beautiful story about a friendship between a small sparrow and a homeless man. Readers of all ages will be moved by this powerful narrative, which highlights the heroism and dignity of people with mental illness. Beautiful full colour illustrations drawn with depth and insight by former Hans Christian Andersen Medalist Robert Ingpen. 

Broken Beaks is long out of print and I think it might be very hard to find. IF you do have a copy it is now very valuable. I have seen copies listed between AU$90 and AU$150.

When I was a CBCA (Children's Book Council of Australia) judge we read Crumbs by Phil Cummings illustrated by Shane Deveries. One of the judges in my category (Picture book of the Year) linked Crumbs with Broken Beaks (2003 and out of print). I love making connections between texts, but I had no idea about Broken Beaks. I was so thrilled to find this book in the school library I visit each week. What an extraordinary wealth of books this library holds. I continue to be so amazed and excited by the books I discover.