Which 1928 Newbery Medal winner was written by Dhan Gopal Mukerji?

Which 1928 Newbery Medal winner was written by Dhan Gopal Mukerji? The answer is Gay-Neck, the Story of a Pigeon.

Mukerji’s 1927 novel follows Gay-Neck, a prized Indian pigeon, from his early life and training through his service as a messenger pigeon during World War I. The narrative combines adventure with reflections on fear, violence, memory and the relationship between humans and animals. Mukerji drew partly on his own childhood experience with pigeons.

The book’s title is often styled Gay-Neck: The Story of a Pigeon, but the punctuation and capitalization do not change the canonical answer. It is also easy to confuse the other options with earlier winners: Tales from Silver Lands won in 1925, Shen of the Sea in 1926, and The Dark Frigate in 1924. Mukerji’s win was historically notable as the first Newbery Medal awarded to an Asian American and person of color.