Horn Book

This charming story of a girl helping migrating storks takes place on a kibbutz in Israel, and Hebrew words are used strategically throughout. Maya's compassion and creativity are the focus, but the narrative unfortunately feels passive, missing out on an opportunity for a truly engaging story. Loose, lightly washed watercolors give life to Maya and the graceful storks.

Publishers Weekly (Fri Oct 06 00:00:00 CDT 2023)

In spring, migrating storks always stop at young Maya-s kibbutz on their way back to their European homes. When one stork breaks its wing on some netting in a kibbutz fish pond, Maya becomes the bird-s advocate; with help from her father, the stork becomes a surrogate mother to a nestful of needy stork chicks. Lehman-Wilzig (Zvuvi-s Israel) immerses readers in rhythms of kibbutz life from the very first page, and she never makes a big deal of Maya-s confidence and competence: when the girl pulls out her walkie-talkie and sends out the alert, -S-O-S. Stork in net,- it-s the most natural thing in the world. U.K.-based illustrator Shuttlewood works in watercolors, an ideal medium for a story that takes place entirely outdoors. She renders her human characters in a somewhat simple style, as if reserving the detailing for the birds at the center of the story. And handsome they are, with a magnificent, snowy wingspans tipped in black, and bright red legs and beaks. It-s easy to why Maya devotes her considerable intelligence and energies to them. Ages 3-8. Illustrator-s agent: Advocate Art. (Sept.)

School Library Journal (Tue Jul 01 00:00:00 CDT 2014)

PreS-Gr 2 While migrating from Africa to Europe, a white stork becomes tangled in a net protecting a kibbutz fish pond. Young Maya persuades her father to rescue the injured bird. She calls the stork Yaffa, and because her wing cannot be repaired, the farmers build her a nest in a huge tire on the ground. Yaffa cannot fly to join a male stork that builds a nest in a nearby tree. The following spring, another female joins him while Yaffa watches from below. Soon three chicks hatch. When their mother does not return from foraging, Abba and Maya devise a plan to help Yaffa reach the chicks and save the family. The soft edges and muted colors of Shuttlewood's watercolor illustrations perfectly complement this low-key, pleasant, but improbable tale of animal rescue. Kathy Piehl, Minnesota State University Library, Mankato