by David Almond
First published 2024
Young Kevin lives at a monastery where his parents sent him during hard times. The monks care for him with study and prayer, but they also let him run free in the surrounding woods and fields. Everything changes when Kevin must give up his childish ways and stay confined to his cell. Lonely and missing home, he stretches his hands through the window toward the sunlight. Two blackbirds arrive and build their nest right in his cupped palms. Kevin remains motionless for days as the birds lay eggs and tend them. He waits as the eggs hatch into tiny chicks. Only when the baby birds grow strong enough to spread their wings and fly away does Kevin finally move. The monks witness this act of patience and sacrifice, and they understand what they must do next. This retelling of an ancient Irish legend explores how love sometimes means holding on and sometimes means letting go.
Genres: fiction, literary-fiction, fantasy
Vibes: atmospheric, emotional, lyrical, thought-provoking
Tropes: found-family, letting-go
Setting: Ireland, Monastery
Period: Ancient
32 pages · Hardcover · Candlewick Press