Mary Avery Kabrich grew up in rural Minnesota and moved to Seattle when she was twenty-three, fulfilling her childhood desire of becoming an urban dweller. She spent all of elementary school confused about how everyone else had figured out the mysterious process of reading. Once Upon a Time a Sparrow is pure fiction informed by her life experiences as a child with severe dyslexia in the late '60s, early 70's, at a time and place when an inability to read was not understood. Mary has worked as a special education teacher, private tutor, and university instructor. She currently fulfills her passions serving students in Seattle School District as a school psychologist and writing stories of transformation.
"A school psychologist works to accept her own past while also fighting for her students...A heartwarming story how a young woman confronted dyslexia and went on to help others...Kabrich reveals and engaging story of self-actualization." Kirkus Review"Kabrich's book is like a verbal tapestry. Three stories are woven together, each with its own gift to the reader: a tale of dyslexia...; a story of an educational professional...; and finally, the story of story itself, with its power to lift us and transform our lives." Maryanne Wolf, Tufts University, author of Proust and the Squid."With moments both heart-breaking and inspirational, the story follows the child Maddie's tenacious journey to learn how to read and the adult Dr. Mary's inescapable struggle to accept herself... a story that honors the real lives of people touched, and too often damaged, by a lack of understanding of dyslexia." Dorothy Van Soest, author Just Mercy and At the Center"This book offers a unique window on 'why some children learn to read as effortlessly as a bird learns to fly, while others flap their wings so hard they almost break and still end up in a nosedive.' Written in compelling, lively style of a personal narrative..." Virginia W. Berninger, Center on Human Development and Disability, University of Washington."The book is engaging from page one and throughout. It is very rare to read a novel that addresses dyslexia, let alone portraying it from the eye of the beholder. I loved the magic and wonder around words and the imagery and imagination throughout the story." Pauline Erera, cultural diversity scholar
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