Book Review: An Orphan No More, by Jerry and Jordan Windle

by Hannah Crawford

 Rodney the rooster dreams of being a father. Jordy the duckling is orphaned, left alone after his parents are killed. An Orphan No More tells the story of how they become a family. 

One day, Rodney comes across an orphaned duck egg. Though the other animals tell him he can’t be a dad alone, Rodney knows just what to do. He keeps the egg warm until it hatches, then raises the baby duck by himself. He names the duckling Jordy, after a boy in a bedtime story he heard growing up. 

Raising Jordy isn’t easy. Jordy is a duckling, and ducks are swimmers. But Rodney is a rooster who has never swam in his life. Who will teach Jordy to swim? Then, the other ducklings on the pond ask Jordy why he looks different than his dad. This makes Jordy sad, until Rodney explains that though they may look different, what matters is that they are a family. 

At the end of the book, Rodney tells Jordy the bedtime story that is the origin of his name. It is about a man who wanted to be a father and a little boy in an orphanage in Cambodia who dreamed of having a family. The bedtime story is the real-life story of the authors of the book, Jerry and his son, Jordan. Jerry adopted Jordan from an orphanage in Phnom Penh, Cambodia, and they wrote this book together. 

You and your parents can visit www.anorphannomore.com to order this book. You can also read more about Jordan in his profile this month! [link to Jordan’s Profile please!]