The person we present to the world and who we truly are can often be very different from one another. Sometimes, it takes a special catalyst for one’s authentic nature to be revealed.

Wounded Falcons, by renowned picture book creators Jairo Buitrago and Rafael Yockteng, explores this idea through the character of Adrián. A young boy of around 9 years old, Adrián is introduced as the archetypal troublemaker: fists clenched, black eye, and in for a (possible) beating from his father after school. Adrián’s external image is compounded when he is viewed alongside his friend Santiago, a bookish, smartly dressed boy of about the same age, who is never in any trouble.

And yet, there is more to Adrián than meets the eye. He finds a wounded falcon in an empty lot, wraps it up and bunks off school to protect it. The falcon acts as the catalyst for Adrián to reveal his true nature—his “big heart,” to those around him. No longer the bruised, disheveled schoolboy, he proudly stands up in class to present his knowledge of birds of prey. And Santiago witnesses his friend cry for the first time when Adrián sees the falcon flying free above their neighborhood. On a sidenote, the environment in which this story is set may be unfamiliar to many readers. The factory where Adrián’s mother works belches fumes into the sky, nondescript high-rise buildings dominate the foreground, while shanty-type dwellings scatter the hillside behind.

The relationship between Adrián and the falcon is deep, special, beautiful. And Santiago helps to facilitate it: he pays for the falcon’s wing to be fixed with his Christmas money; he helps Adrián care for the bird. And through their combined actions, we realize that the relationship between the two boys is just as important and strong as that between Adrián and his rescued bird of prey.

Wounded Falcons shows readers that appearances can be deceiving. It is a heart-warming, hopeful story of friendship and personal growth.

Wounded Falcons
Written by Jairo Buitrago
Illustrated by Rafael Yockteng
Translated from Spanish by Elisa Amado
Published by Groundwood Books, 2021

ISBN: 9781773064567

Reviews: Kirkus (starred), Canadian Review of Materials,

Awards: CCBC Selection 2022, USBBY Outstanding International Book Selection 2022, Junior Library Guild Selection

You can buy a copy of Wounded Falcons here or find it in a library.*

*Book purchases made via our affiliate link may earn GLLI a small commission at no cost to you.

Laura Taylor is the founder of world children’s literature blog Planet Picture Book. She is a small business copywriter, NAATI-certified translator of French into English and member of AUSIT. When she is not writing, she is reading and spending time with her two young children. She occasionally tweets @plapibo and posts at www.planetpicturebook.com