Woot!. This item is unavailable.Woot!

Twelve-year old Daniel Wilson shares an unusual hobby with his father, Jed. They breed and race homing pigeons! But father and son don’t see eye to eye on the purpose of the birds. Jed views the birds as competitors – he needs to win his bet on which bird will come in first in every race. But Daniel has a special gift. He understands the birds and comes to discover he can even talk to them! In fact, his star racing pigeon – Woot – becomes his secret best friend. As Daniel and Jed prepare Woot for the Southwest Regional Pigeon Race, everything is on the line. Will Woot win and prove to be the champion Daniel knows he is?  Or will he lose the race and be cast off, like so many other pigeons who don't become racing stars? The stakes are high for both boy and bird as this desert adventure unfolds.   

This is a really exciting story about a young boy coming of age - his challenges with his father and his deep love and kinship with animals, particularly a racing pigeon named Woot. Lipsky perfectly captures the dialogue among the characters, human and animal. And she weaves all sorts of fun facts about pigeons throughout the story, so the reader comes away having learned a lot about avian behavior. Woot would make a great holiday gift for middle-grade kids.

Woot! is a great book that brings the reader into the characters' world (both human and avian)...the story is both simple and complex, a pleasure to read and a wonderful tonic for anyone with a heart, tender or otherwise.