From School Library Journal
Grade 4-6 Abandoned at birth, Billy Bunch, now ten, has lived in a string of foster homes. He stutters, does poorly in school, and has no friends, finding consolation in an abandoned churchyard and its environs where he watches birds and other wildlife. It is here that he rescues a deux ex machina in swan shape from some vicious boys, and is miraculously cured of his stutter. He also finds a family of foxes, and when the vixen is run over, Billy rescues one of the cubs and runs away with it (aided and abetted here and there by the d.e.m.). Ultimately, Billy finds a home and a family, the fox returns to the wild, and the d.e.m., ``her mission accomplished at last,'' heads for the swannery. This is overwritten in spots and has other weaknesses to boot (Billy, portrayed as a keen nature observer, fails to notice the swan's bright red leg band for months). As it stands, this plot is too contrived to be convincing. Patricia Manning, Eastchester Public Library, N.Y.
Copyright 1987 Reed Business Information, Inc.
--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
From AudioFile
Bill Wallis's calm, elegant reading is perfect to tell the story of foster child Billy Bunch. A smiling infant when he was deserted at a police station, he soon turns into a sullen, unattractive child. Billy stutters in school but can sit silently still while watching a wild cygnet. When the cygnet sheds a gray feather, Billy picks it up--in that moment he discovers his love for the wilderness behind his foster home. Wallis's soothing voice tracks Billy's attachment to a fox, which sends him fleeing from his unhappy living situation. His gentle tones follow Billy's path until he finds a place where he belongs--with people who need him as much as he needs a loving home. S.W. © AudioFile 2007, Portland, Maine--
Copyright © AudioFile, Portland, Maine
