Wounded Wing

by Richard Rashke, Julie Psenicka (Illustrator)

Renowned author Richard Rashke's new book, Wounded Wing, is a magical love story for children from nine to ninety-nine. It's about betrayal and forgiveness, greed and justice, healing and hope, courage and delight. Set in the ancient kingdom of Japan, this retelling of a folktale is brought to life by Julie Psenicka's elegant paintings inspired by the traditional Japanese ink-wash style. 



In this enduring tale of love and loss, an injured crane named Tsuu falls in love with the poor farmer who nurses her back to health. She takes human form and marries him, protecting him from the unreasonable demands of his greedy landlords by weaving an exquisite cloth for the empress. She asks only that her husband never look upon her at the loom. When he breaks his sacred promise and learns her secret, a heartbroken Tsuu must navigate the complexities of betrayal and forgiveness.



Rashke's Wounded Wing is a healing tonic for a world filled with war, violence, hatred, and intolerance.

142 pages, Kindle Edition

Published February 24, 2026

About the author

Richard Rashke is a lecturer and author of non-fiction books, including The Killing of Karen Silkwood, Escape from Sobibor, Useful Enemies, A Boy Named Red: A True Crime Story, and The Whistle Blower’s Dilemma: Snowden, Silkwood and Their Quest for the Truth. His works have been translated into thirteen languages and have been the subject of films for the screen and television. Rashke worked with Sobibor survivor Esther Tenner Raab on a powerful play called Dear Esther, and he has recently released a new book for all ages, Wounded Wing.

Reviews

[Louis (audiobookfanatic)]

BLURB:
Tsuu, a crane living in the ancient forests of Japan, is drawn to Yohei, a poor but kind-hearted farmer. After she’s wounded by landowners Jiro and Kane, Yohei saves her life, leaving her bound by an ancient debt of gratitude.

REVIEW:
This beautifully written fantasy novella is a retelling of the Japanese folktale known as The Crane Maiden and one you won’t soon forget! The story focuses on an injured crane that's rescued by a poor farmer and repays his kindness, only for a sacred promise to be broken—doesn’t that sound intriguing?? The author takes the folktale and transforms it into an enchanting story full with magic, romance, and wonder. If you haven’t read any of Rashke’s work before like me, this novella is a great intro to his imaginative and immersive writing. Despite being only 134 pages, the story took me on an emotional journey, and I was really invested in the crane protagonist, Tsuu, who lives through her heart and shows so much empathy. And I was surprised by how many other elements were woven in—shape-shifting magic, hidden identity, star-crossed lovers, sacrifice for love, forbidden secrets, betrayal, and forgiveness!

Told mostly from Tsuu’s POV, you get to experience the ancient Japanese forest (and farm land) through the eyes of a pure-hearted, intelligent crane. The prologue and afterlog are narrated by the Game Warden of the Mighty Emperor, and he makes the story feel like an ancient legend that’s been told forever—and he also plays a key role in the story!

I loved how much folklore is seamlessly woven. In Tsuu’s inner dialogue, she talks about her close relationship with her mother, the sacred rules that the crane folk must obey, the dangers that humans pose, and the connection they have with the forests and skies. Once Yohei finds her injured, their magnetic connection is immediately felt—and because Tsuu has been secretly watching him from the trees, she trusts him. As Yohei spends his only money to heal her, you can’t help but love him and be intrigued by how their relationship will evolve. Without giving anything away, crane tradition requires Tsuu to repay him for saving her life, and a magical sequence of events follows!

What made this book so special were the beautiful lyrical verse passages that appeared in meaningful scenes. Some of the verses sound like tender folk songs exchanged between Tsuu and Yohei as their feelings deepen, while those from Jiro and Kane, the greedy landowners, are dark humor vibes—but they all have interesting messages and add to the enchanting tone of the story.

The short chapters, immersive writing, lyrical verses, and vivid fairytale-like descriptions make the novella engaging from start to finish. The chapters have intriguing titles that foreshadow what’s about to happen and the themes that will be explored next. There are also many great themes beyond the fantasy and romance that make the novella suitable for “children 9 to 99,” just as stated at the beginning. The importance of kindness, the consequences of greed, loyalty, selflessness, forgiveness, and respect for nature are themes that really stand out.

The climactic scenes deliver a satisfying sense of poetic justice, and the ending includes a compelling sacrifice and transformation that will pull at your heartstrings—so be sure to have some tissues nearby! 😭 I loved how the afterlog made the story feel complete, kept the magical vibe of the book, and lingered with me afterward. If you enjoy folklore, fairytale retellings, lyrical writing, memorable characters, or whimsical stories with meaningful themes, don’t think twice about picking this one up—you’ll love it!

[Duane Dargis]

Each life is a Fairy Tale.
Hopes and Fears
Laughters and Tears
Wounds and Scars
Clouds and Stars
Healing !
Hold your Crane
tightly, but gently.
Your Crane
is fragile, but giving.
This beautiful story embraces what we each need more of
through risk, and courage, and humility.
It taught me to be forgiven
and to fly again
after forgetting how.
BRAVO !

Duane Dargis
Registered Investment Advisor (RIA)
retired

[Doug Edmonds]

Once I started reading the book Wounded Wing, I could not put it down. It was a delightfully easy read, but the words were so powerful and the vivid illustrations by Julie Psenicka added such complementarity to the actions within the story. The book itself is no less than a work of art because it engaged not only my thoughts, but my heart as well. Risk, fear, safety, trust, heart, reason, need, manipulation, surrender, and hope were all actions at play throughout the journey of the two main characters Tsuu and Yohei. At the outset, Tsuu had to reach out and risk to survive her wound. Her mind was filled with her mother's words of what she should fear, but her choice to risk facing that fear made her own fear become "wrapped in hope". Tsuu put a time limit on her trust, as many of us have done many times in life, which seemed to have given her more courage at the outset. Her heart would tell her she was safe when her head was saying she should not feel safe. Yohei’s offerings of hope were important for Tsuu to handle her fear. Trust, for her, evolved into more of a choice and not a response to an intense need. Would Tsuu’s memory of all the unique and caring traits Yohei possessed become powerful enough to give her the confidence that both were destined for a unified love? Their budding unified love becomes tested when a price is put upon it. Jiro and Kane, as the reader will see, have a plan to challenge that unified happiness. As I neared the end of the story, the surprising conclusion gave me insight into what kind of surrender was required for Tsuu and Yohei to experience mutual freedom, trust, and a deeper more unified love. The reader will find more reasons to support why this book is a true work of art.

[Abby Schulz]

If you love meaningful stories with beautiful illustrations, Wounded Wing is worth the read. A reminder about compassion, promises, and forgiveness in a world that desperately needs more of all three.

[Barbara Rashke]

Richard Rashke offers fresh view on a treasured fairytale that has endured centuries. This story captures the struggles of good versus evil; the “haves” and “have nots” and powerful versus morally strong. There is hope that love will endure hardships and is a great gift. The result has the sweetness of O. Henry’s Gift of the Magi with a satisfying finish.

I quickly liked the primary character, Yohei, which connected me to the story. As a fairytale does, it evokes emotions of care, concern, angst and hope.

The prose flows with poetic dialogue and descriptive text. The story engages the reader and the easy style provides an enjoyable read. Julie Psenicka’s illustrations envision ancient Japan and support the reader in understanding the times of the characters.

Richard Rashke’s Wounded Wing delivers a delightful tale and engaging read.

[RObert Good]

“Wounded Wing” by Richard Rashke is a beautiful story for the child in all of us. It is a story of love and loss and redemption. It is a story of the evils of greed and averice.
It is a story of the oneness of living beings.
As he says: “It is only with the heart that once can truly see”. This is the essence of this beautiful allegory, a modern day fairly tale that can be appreciated on many levels.
It is a book that can be read by young children, or it can be read to young children with room for discussion about the meaning of the story.

[Bruce J]

Courage, love, faithfulness and resilience do battle with greed and ruthless thuggery where, ultimately, forgiveness triumphs.

Richard Rashke’s words and style paint many pictures captured beautifully in the many illustrations by Julie Psenicka in in this Japanese folktale told anew.

It is a story worth reading again and again; for enjoyment, reflection, strength and inner peace.

[Alison]

I won this in a Goodreads Giveaway. This was a beautiful retelling of the Crane Wife story with a much better ending and lyrical writing.