“Woods, whose The Red Rose Box was a Coretta Scott King Honor Book, writes Coop’s first-person narrative with simplicity and directness.…A warm, accessible family story with credible conflicts and satisfying resolutions.” —Booklist

Brenda Woods, Coretta Scott King Honor–winning author of The Red Rose Box, has crafted a beautiful story about the life-changing bond between a boy named Cooper and a baby mockingbird in WITH JUST ONE WING. Through the parallels between Coop and his mockingbird, Woods explores the complexities of adoption as he takes care of the bird and reflects on his own life.

“Woods presents Coop’s ponderings about his birth mother, and how he fits into his adoptive family, with tenderness and sincerity in this smoothly plotted story that captures the fine-tuned rhythms of Coop’s busy, engaged, and musical family.” —Publishers Weekly

Coop loves and appreciates his mom, dad, and grandparents, though there are times he feels disconnected from them as he doesn’t share their musical talents. Coop was adopted as a baby and sometimes wonders what his birth mother was like and why she couldn’t keep him. His perspective on adoption expands the summer he and his friend Zandi discover a mockingbird nest. Curiosity leads Coop to climb the tree with the nest, resulting in a fall, a broken arm, and concussion. Now operating at a slower pace and fully immersed in bird watching, Coop and Zandi notice that one of the baby birds stays behind; and upon taking a closer look, they realize it has just one wing. Worried it won’t survive in the wild, they take it in and name it Hop, learning everything they can about birds so they can care for it properly. After a hawk injures Hop, the vet they take him to tells Coop it’s illegal to keep mockingbirds as pets. Faced with a difficult decision about surrendering his beloved little bird to a bird sanctuary, Coop considers love, family, and his birth mother’s decision in a new light.

  “A highly relatable and at times poetic piece of writing and American history with a fresh depiction of lower- to upper-middle-class Black life in midcentury Los Angeles.” —NY Times Book Review

In this story that is close to the author’s heart, Woods, who was a foster child, displays a touching look at family and the things we do for love. WITH JUST ONE WING  shows the impact of nurturing, as Hop is a bird who, though he will never fly, is still able to sing and hop and live happily.  Coop and Zandi learn so much about friendship, belonging and love through their care of Hop, leaving readers inspired to become nurturers as well.

Heartfelt. . . . Cleverly uses music terminology to convey Eden’s and Winter’s shifting emotions during the six days of unrest and to mark the pacing of the plot. The free verse makes some of the more complex themes accessible, and this could easily spark a thoughtful discussion on how a history of Jim Crow laws, police brutality, and housing inequality plays into current social unrest.” —BCCB STAR


     “A heartfelt exploration of the 1965 Watts Rebellion as seen through the eyes of a remarkable girl.”

—Jacqueline Woodson


     “Woods has framed this story lyrically, using musical movements and terminology to move the exposition along believably. . . . Readers will find themselves immersed in the time period with naturally included details. . . . This slim yet affecting offering presents an important moment in U.S. history that sadly mirrors current events. Middle-graders will be entertained and educated, as well as inspired to action.” —Booklist


     “Interwoven with plentiful music references and utilizing historically accurate language, Woods’s harmonious play-by-play narrative of growing up during the Watts Riots spotlights some long-lasting effects of racial inequality and discrimination on children.” —PW