Flying!

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Editorial Reviews

Children's Literature - Kathie M. Josephs
The age-old question of "Why" is the theme of this delightful book. A young and curious boy asks his father why he cannot fly. Of course his father tells him that he cannot fly because he does not have wings. You guessed it—the next question is why he does not have wings. This book brought back so many memories of when my children were little. I wish I had had a book like this one to read to them. The illustrations are excellent and truly express the emotions on each page. His father tries to interact with his son's dreams using words and actions that can help his son understand. From both the story line and the illustrations, the reader can feel the strong relationship between the father and son. The last page is absolutely a perfect way to end the story. This would be an ideal gift for any parent with a young child. Some books are meant to be read aloud and shared. This is one of them. It will definitely be one of the books pulled from the shelf at bedtime. Reviewer: Kathie M. Josephs
School Library Journal

PreS-K

An African-American boy reads a book about birds and asks his father, "why can't I fly?" Papa begins by pointing out the child's obvious lack of wings, and their conversation evolves into a game; no wings means hands instead, and hands are for grabbing, swinging, tossing, and flying in his father's arms. Ultimately, the child lives out his dreams of flight. The idea is carried more by Luthardt's bright acrylic illustrations than the text. The vividly colored cartoon artwork focuses on the joyful interactions between father and son and depicts fantastical scenes of the youngster soaring along with feathered friends. The last page hints that the game's not over: "Papa, why can't I breathe under water?" Though simple in concept, this salute to imagination shows the magic that can happen when grown-ups enter into play with children.-Kathleen Kelly MacMillan, Carroll County Public Library, MD

Kirkus Reviews
When a boy reads a book about birds, his imagination takes flight. Multicolored acrylic paintings on bright, spare backgrounds narrow the focus straight to the boy and his dreams of taking wing with some colorful feathered friends. When asked, the boy's father explains that the boy can't fly because he doesn't have wings-he has arms and hands instead. More "why" questions follow, resulting in the boy being hugged, swung and tossed, until he soars through the air with the help of his father. The minimal, dialogue-only text works well, allowing readers to immerse themselves in the illustrations and perhaps add some description of their own. Sitting together in an armchair, the boy and his father then embark on a new reading selection about fish. Questions about fins seem sure to follow! An engaging and effective father-son story in which the main characters are black and race is not presented as an issue, this is a charming introduction to the worlds of books, birds and imagination, and an apt choice for parent-child reading. (Picture book. 4-7)
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Product Details

  • ISBN-13: 9781561457243
  • Publisher: Peachtree Publishers, Ltd.
  • Publication date: 9/1/2013
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