Saving Winslow, Sharon Creech’s 2018 middle grade novel, details 10-year-old Louie’s quest to nurse a newborn donkey to health. In the process, Louie matures, learning how to handle adversity and discovering the importance of letting go. His experiences fuel the themes of The Benefits of Caregiving, The Power of Positivity, and The Impact of Absent Loved Ones. A narrative about growing up, Saving Winslow was named an Indie Next List Pick, an ALA Notable Children’s Book, and a Texas Bluebonnet Award Winner.

This guide refers to the 2018 Joanna Cotler Books print edition of the text.

Plot Summary

When Louie’s father returns from Uncle Pete’s farm one Saturday morning with an orphaned newborn donkey struggling to survive, Louie vows to save it. Despite a lackluster history with animals, Louie thinks positively and outlines a plan. His parents reluctantly consent but warn him not to get his hopes up in case the animal, who Louie names Winslow, does not survive. Taking care of Winslow makes Louie feel lighter, for he misses his older brother, Gus, who has been in the army for the past year. Everywhere Louie goes, he can feel his brother’s absence. Although Gus sends occasional letters, he writes little, causing his family to miss him even more.

Recently, Louie and Mack, a 13-year-old neighbor, befriend sisters who just moved to town. Mack falls in love with Claudine, while Louie puzzles over the quiet and odd Nora. When Mack and the girls visit Winslow, the older two gush over the donkey, but Nora remains aloof, insisting that the animal will die. When Louie argues that he was born two months early and survived, Nora reveals that her baby brother, also born prematurely, did not make it. Despite her initial resistance to the donkey, Nora visits often.

Then, Louie wakes one morning to discover that Winslow’s breathing is shallow and that he can barely move. Panicked, Louie alerts his parents and Mack’s father, who calls a vet. It turns out that Winslow has an infection, and Louie must administer a daily shot of medicine to foster the animal’s recovery. He is terrified, but the veterinarian is encouraging. With practice, Louie surprises himself and learns to inject the medicine with ease. Meanwhile, Nora is distraught to learn that Winslow is sick, and she keeps her distance until Louie begins to sit with her at lunch. He tells her that Winslow is improving, and she should visit. The following weekend, she appears at his house and even pets Winslow. Nora offers a collar and a leash, so Louie can take him for walks, and a few weeks later, they escort Winslow to the sledding hill.

Amid all this, Louie desperately misses Gus and remembers their past interactions. Louie and his parents frequently reread letters from his brother, and Louie often wears Gus’s clothes. Louie is bothered that his brother always signs letters, “Remember me.” Furthermore, Louie often lays in his brother’s bed and worries about Gus.

One spring day, Nora visits, upset because she knows that Winslow is too big and loud to stay at Louie’s house. Her words echo complaints from neighbors, specifically Mrs. Tooley who claims that the donkey’s braying constantly wakes her baby. Nora adds, however, that Winslow will never be free again and will, therefore, get sick and die. Frustrated because Nora always expects the worst, Louie argues with her.

One morning, Louie discovers that Winslow’s pen is open, and the animal is missing. After an extensive search, Louie finds Winslow with Nora on the sledding hill. As he approaches, he thinks of the time when he thought he saw a bear, but it was just a jacket; like that time, Louie fears the worst. Despite his trepidation, Nora and Winslow are fine, and Louie is grateful to have found the animal. It takes a few days of insistent questioning and Nora’s cryptic responses for Louie to learn that Winslow did not escape. Nora had taken him for a walk.

When Uncle Pete notes that “[Winslow’s] probably ready” (115), Louie and Nora are confused until Louie’s parents declare that Winslow can no longer stay, for their house is not zoned for farm animals. Nora and Louie are distraught while neighbors, specifically Mrs. Tooley, continue to complain. An animal control officer and someone from the Board of Health visit, demanding that Winslow be removed from the premises. Frustrated, Louie and Nora walk Winslow to visit Uncle Pete’s farm. Winslow is excited to see all the animals, but Nora sees the newborn lambs and fears that they will not survive. However, she loosens up and enjoys herself. Louie senses something is amiss and realizes that Winslow’s mother is no longer there, for she died after giving birth.

One night, when a thunderstorm rages, Louie hears Winslow’s frantic braying. When he investigates, he smells smoke and sees it rising from Mrs. Tooley’s house. The boy bangs on the woman’s door until she rushes out with her baby. Mrs. Tooley stays with Louie’s family, and they realize that Winslow is a protector, for he alerted them of the fire, and he brays every time the baby cries. When Uncle Pete arrives and announces that a coyote killed one of the lambs, Louie unexpectedly suggests that Winslow live on the farm to protect the animals. Although sad, Louie and Nora agree to visit often. The day they take Winslow there, Louie and Nora help Uncle Pete give shots to another lamb. When Louie returns home, there is a letter from Gus saying he will be home for five days in July. That night, when silvery moonlight shines through his bedroom window, Louie wonders if it is shining on Gus and Winslow, too.