Saving Winslow by Sharon Creech (review)

Ten-year-old Louie forms an instant bond with the sickly newborn donkey his father brings home from his uncle's farm. Louie himself was born early with complications and he's determined to help the struggling creature—whom he names Winslow—survive the odds just like Louie did. While his parents and best friend are willing to help out, they warn Louie not to get too attached; Nora, the new girl in the neighborhood, is aggressively doubtful about Louie's efforts to keep Winslow alive but still checks in on the pair nearly every day. The plot is minimal and the tension light (it's pretty clear early on that Winslow will live), but Creech's quiet prose explores worry and loss with a nuanced but kid-friendly approach in what seems to be a recent but pre-computer past. The scene in which readers learn that Nora's baby brother died is simple and unforced, while the effect of Louie's older brother Gus' deployment is felt in small moments, as when Louie notices that Gus' signoff on his letters has changed from "Miss you" to "Remember me." There's no climactic resolution here, just a clear-eyed look at the way humans endure heartbreak and hope. KQG