Once Upon a Time a Sparrow weaves together the tales of Mary Madelyn Meyers, a successful school psychologist, and her younger self, nine-year-old Maddie, struggling with dyslexia in 1967's rural Minnesota. Years apart yet intimately connected, their stories intersect when an unexpected discovery following a loved one's death forces Mary to confront her obscured childhood memories. Mary's journey towards self-acceptance navigates the complexities of understanding dyslexia, the power of imagination, and the healing that comes with embracing one's complete story. Reminiscing, she revisits Maddie's challenges, her devotion to Saint Rita, and the profound impact a stolen book had on her life. As the grown Mary grapples with children's learning challenges within her practice, she finds that understanding and healing the past can illuminate the path to self-acceptance and transformation.