Broken Beaks

by Nathaniel Lachenmeyer

The little sparrow is one of the most beautiful birds in the park. He's fast, too. When people drop crumbs of food, he is usually the first one there.

One morning he awakens to find that part of his beak has broken off in the night. Without it, he can't pick up food. It doesn't take long for the once-handsome bird to begin looking scraggly. As he gets weaker and dirtier, people don't want him around. The other birds don't, either.

A strange man living in the park -- a man as thin and dirty and unwanted as the sparrow -- becomes his only friend. What do they see in each other?

This short story, beautifully illustrated by Robert Ingpen, takes minutes to read. But its powerful message about people who are homeless and mentally ill -- or those who are simply different -- will linger with you for a long time.