Written by Rina Singh · Illustrated by Barkha Lohia
The true story of brothers Nadeem and Saud, who grew up in Old Delhi watching majestic black kites circle the sky — and dedicated their lives to saving them. Based on the founders of Wildlife Rescue, as featured in the Oscar-nominated documentary "All That Breathes".
A picture book about compassion, determination, and two brothers who changed the world — one bird at a time.
Brothers Nadeem and Saud grew up in Delhi watching the majestic raptors called black kites — known locally as "cheel" — circle in the sky above their heads. But every year, when paper-kite-flying season came and people brought out their glass-coated kite strings called manja, the beautiful birds faced dangerous skies.
One day, the brothers found a black kite tangled in manja. They rushed it to a local bird hospital, but were turned away — "we do not treat carnivorous birds," they were told. The bird died in their arms. As they got older, the brothers never forgot that day.
Learning from a local vet who taught them how to mend a bird's wing, and a neighbour who trained pigeons, they began to rescue and rehabilitate injured black kites from their own home in Old Delhi's Walled City. Over the years, they treated more than 26,000 injured birds — with 80% of birds that underwent wing surgery returning to the skies.
Today, Wildlife Rescue has grown into the world's largest raptor rescue facility, with over 39,000 birds rescued since 2010.
Barkha Lohia's breathtaking watercolor illustrations bring Old Delhi and its kites to life.
Bird Brothers has been recognized by leading children's literature organizations.
2025
2026
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2025
"Themes of environmental protection, determination, helping others, and following one's passions... The artwork and the story are inspiring and beautiful."
"Captures the singular and stoic brilliance... of radical compassion and care."
— Shaunak Sen, Director of "All That Breathes" (Oscar-nominated)
"A narrative nonfiction text well suited to upper preschool and early elementary school-aged readers... uses straightforward language and emotional details to show how two untrained young men protected their community's black kites."
— Goodreads
"The true story of two brothers who felt a calling early on to help the black kites falling from the sky in Delhi... demonstrates we really can make a difference through community action and personal dedication."
— Goodreads
The talented duo behind Bird Brothers.
Award-winning Canadian children's author and spoken word coach. Her previous books include Grandmother School(winner, Christie Harris Illustrated Children's Literature Prize), Diwali: A Festival of Lights, 111 Trees (Social Justice Literature Award), and Once, a Bird. Rina is drawn to real-life stories about social justice and the environment. She spoke directly with Nadeem and Saud to craft this story respectfully.
Indian illustrator and visual artist based in Toronto. Recipient of the Binod Kanoria Illustration Award for A Tree of My Own. Her other works include So Many Leaves and Let's Talk About Trees. Her art explores the connections between humans and nature — using personal photos provided by the brothers to bring their world to vivid, watercolor life.
Available worldwide in hardcover and eBook.
Amazon USA
$15.08
Amazon UK
GBP
Orca Book Publishers
CAD $21.95
Indigo (Canada)
CAD $21.95
Blackwell's (UK)
GBP
Target (USA)
$15.08
ISBN: 978-1-4598-3856-7· Also available as eBook (ISBN: 978-1-4598-3927-4)
This book tells the origin story of Wildlife Rescue — now the world's largest raptor rescue facility with over 39,000 birds rescued since 2010. Nadeem and Saud continue their work every day in Delhi, and every purchase helps raise awareness for raptor conservation.
