Penguin the Magpie. The Odd Little Bird Who Saved a Family

by Cameron Bloom and Bradley Trevor Grieve

This was a dual story: the author’s wife fell off a second floor balcony, cracked her skull in two places, and broke her spine, thereby becoming paralyzed from the arms down. Soon after that, their sons found a baby magpie and the family chose to nurse it back to health.

Many, many wonderful photos accompanied by words.  At the end is an essay by the author and one by his wife, who writes directly to others who have dealt with a spinal cord injury.

Quotes

“You don’t have to be superhuman to survive the bad times and you can’t always be at your best.   But even when things look their worst, you can still feel positive about the future.  Being optimistic is simply a choice made possible by being creative and proactive.  The means to achieving the breakthrough you need may be a lot closer than you think."     p. 146

“A happy ending begins with having faith in your own story, and looking for ways to create joy for yourself and others.  Time and time again Penguin showed us what a difference it can make just by giving our family and friends a reason to smile when they see us.”      p. 149

“Most importantly, Penguin taught us that helping others feel better is the easiest and best way to help yourself feel better."      p. 162

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