Hawk Hill

My original introduction to this book came from my five year old grandson Aaron who brought it home from the public library for me to read to him. I believe he was attracted to the picture of the hawk on the cover. It is a bird he easily recognized from his observations around his home. He lived with his family in an open area close to the San Pedro River Riperian Area, and the family has always been involved with the out-of-doors and the flora and fauna around them. The story involves a small boy who has recently moved to a new home and is feeling a bit lost and lonely. He spends days alone observing hawks flying above him as he lies on his back on hawk hill. He eventually observes and then meets a woman who takes in and mends injured birds. She teaches the boy to care for these birds and then offers him a strong lesson about letting wild things return to the wild after being healed. Aaron found a kinship with the boy in the book because he and his family were about to relocate to a new home. That coupled with his interest in birds and wildlife made this book particularly meaningful for him. Two pages of illustrated raptor identification at the back of the book are well suited for a young mind's understanding, and he insisted that I read all of it while he examined the pictures closely. The illustrations are well executed and can serve to identify birds in the wild. I bought this book because Aaron is now beginning to read for himself, and I believe he will return to it often. I highly recommend this for children who are interested in bird watching (I believe a second grader can read this by him or herself) as well as for parents who hope to interest their children in learning about the wild birds around them.