Bird Brothers: A Delhi Story, written by Rina Singh and illustrated by Barkha Lohia. Orca Book Publishers, 2025. $21.95 ages

"As we grew older, Delhi become more crowded. 
More people. More cars. 

The sky turned a muted gray and remained like 
that for months. Eye-burning smog blanketed 
the city, swallowing monuments, streets and 
traffic for days. 

But what did not change was the black kites.
Abundant as ever, they faithfully swirled and 
swooped as if watching over us."

An author's note shares the true story of two brothers whose life in Delhi, India (one of the world's most populous cities) led them to notice that birds very important to the ecosystem of their city were injured every year by the nylon thread on paper kites, as well as other threats to their existence. 

Ms. Singh wanted to tell their story for young readers, and here it is. 

The two young boys loved to watch the raptors in Delhi skies. They were everywhere and the beauty of their flight was hypnotic. Their father would throw raw meat in the air and the black kites would dive down to catch it. Their father insisted it brought good luck. When kite flying season began, the birds had to fight for space in the skies above Delhi. The glass-coated threads used for the kite battles caused death for many birds. 

When the boys watched a bird fall from the sky, they rushed to where it landed. A thread had cut its wing. They gathered it up and took to a bird hospital where nothing could be done; they did not have the food they needed to keep it alive. The boys watched the bird die. 

As the city grew bigger and the sky grew smoggier, the birds continued to take up their space in the sky. Through the years, the boys watched without knowing how to help them survive the many accidents that befell them. Finally, they took one to a vet who was able to teach them how to care for the birds they so loved. In fact, one stayed with them for twelve years. They were consumed with caring for them and learned all they could to help them survive. No one loved those birds; the two brothers did. Their work continues today, with an NGO called Wildlife Rescue. Bravo to Nadeem and Mohammad!