(2) PS A child and her abuela are walking in the snow when they discover an injured bird. They bring the bird home, and Abuela nurses it back to health. The bird has a cage, but Abuela lets it fly through the apartment as it recovers, to the child's (and the reader's) delight. When the creature is healed, Abuela sends it off to fly free, and it disappears into the clouds above the city. In the spring, the bird returns; the child wants to keep it, but Abuela says it should remain free but is welcome to visit whenever it wants. Spare, simple, first-person text, narrated from the child's point of view, leaves room for the sweet, collage-like illustrations to pull readers' attention into the story and hold them in this magical space. The illustrations exude the warmth and coziness of a dear relationship between a young child and loving caregiver, and this cherished relationship is enhanced by the new friend they make together. A combination of neutral and bright colors in the art creates eye-catching layers, while the straight lines of rooms and buildings balance the rounded shapes of the characters. The small yellow bird brightens up their apartment in the city, and Abuela's gentle lessons through her actions and words are easily inferred. Published concurrently in Spanish as Un pájaro en casa.

Reviewer: Autumn Allen | Horn Book Magazine Issue: July, 2021