In this heartwarming companion to Sparrow Being Sparrow and Sparrow Spreads Her Wings, Sparrow wants to help the guide-dog-in-training next door pass his test but soon finds she may be the one in need of help when she has difficulty staying on task in school. Yellow daffodils and dandelions are blooming, and a new neighbor is moving into the unit next door to Sparrow’s, along with a service-dog-in-training named Toby. Sparrow soon falls in love with Toby and gets involved with helping him pass his service dog test. In fact, she gets so obsessed with learning about service dogs that she can’t focus on what she’s supposed to be doing in school, and soon Toby’s not the only one who needs to worry about getting tested. Now Sparrow has to meet with the school social worker alongside some kids in “friendship group,” even though she doesn’t need any new friends. Sparrow is used to being the one to help others, but she’s having more and more trouble staying on task in class; and if she messes up too many times in school, she won’t be able to walk Toby anymore. Can she be the Sparrow she’s always been if she’s not the helper but the one being helped?

In this sequel to the “uplifting” (Publishers Weekly, starred review) Sparrow Being Sparrow, Sparrow rescues an injured animal but soon wonders if she’s taken on more than she can handle alone.A blizzard is coming, and Sparrow’s parents are leaving for the hospital to welcome Sparrow’s new baby brother, but all Sparrow can think about is investigating the strange thwack she heard coming from her bedroom window. When she goes outside, she finds an injured pigeon getting buried in the snow. She has to save it! Sparrow and her best friend, Paloma, bring the bird inside while the grown-ups are distracted, determined to nurse it back to health. But soon, Sparrow realizes that helping the bird recover—especially with curious kittens around the house—will be much harder than she thought. If she asks for help, will it mean letting go of her new animal friend?