Review by Booklist Review
While Mama is away on an errand, Mel the bird decides to learn how to fly. Off the branch she goes, thus beginning a fall that gets really long--and really suspenseful. The oblong pages are designed to be turned vertically so the tree trunk forms a continuous band on one side as Mel plummets past wide-eyed owls, swarming bees, an overly ambitious snail ("I . . . will . . . catch . . . you . . . !"), and others before plunging into water where she snags a fish. As lines of text twist around to follow her, she finally wings her way up past the tree's cheering residents to get a loving hug from Mama back at the nest: "I flew! I flew!" For fledgling readers who might not recognize Mel's distinctive blue-and-orange coloring, Tabor explains that she is a kingfisher, a bird that dives into water for food. He saves that note for the end, though, so as not to spoil the drama. Heartening fare for nestlings facing plunges of their own.
From Booklist, Copyright (c) American Library Association. Used with permission.
Review by Publisher's Weekly Review
With Mama Kingfisher temporarily away from the nest, a tangerine-and-turquoise-hued chick named Mel confidently strides out to the edge of a very high tree branch and announces that she's going to learn how to fly. "It sure is a long drop," observes one of her considerably more cautious siblings, which is a cue for the narrative and visual arc of this story by Tabor (Snail Crossing) to take a decidedly funny downward turn. The mixed media drawings, alive with wonderful textures and soft colors, show Mel executing an impressive aerial somersault before blithely hurtling headfirst in parallel with the tree trunk as inhabitants below are thrown into comic panic, convinced that Mel's dive-bombing will result in disaster. An owl family looks on with alarm, a spider tries to catch her with all eight hands, and a good-hearted, slow-moving slug makes a clearly impossible promise: "I... will... catch... you...!" Just as the trajectory looks bleak, Mel hits the previously unrevealed water below--the white background turns beautiful shades of blue--and shows, through a wonderful visual surprise, that she's a kingfisher through and through. (An endnote provides more info on the species.) "Hope" may be the thing with feathers, but Mel proves that "gutsy" can be, too. Ages 4--8. Agent: Rebecca Sherman, Writers House. (Feb.)
(c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved
Review by Horn Book Review
This playful and innovatively designed book tells the story of a small bird who is eager to fly. When Mama leaves the tree one day, Mel jumps, and readers follow her freefall, beak pointed straight at the ground -- a moment made even more dramatic by the vertical orientation of this book. As she falls, she passes other tree-dwellers who try to catch her -- squirrels, owls, a spider, and more (all their dialogue is captured in speech bubbles). When she splashes into the water below, readers are instructed, via smaller font, to turn the book clockwise, and then once again to follow her path back up ("She flew!") with a fish in her beak. She passes the same creatures on her flight up, all of whom cheer her on, the spider even weaving a "yay" for Mel in its web. There's a good deal of humor in this lighthearted story; a slug keeps promising to help but never makes it far, and a fly is liberated ("I'm free!") from the spider's web when Mel falls through it. Tabor's relaxed, loose-lined illustrations capture the energy of the fall as well as Mel's endearing, determined personality. A short closing note from the author states that Mel is a kingfisher, and that kingfishers are unlikely to catch fish the first time they fly -- but that "Mel is a very special bird." Indeed. Julie DanielsonMarch/April 2021 p.75(c) Copyright 2021. The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
(c) Copyright The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Review by Kirkus Book Review
Mel knows it's her day to fly. A stout kingfisher fledgling marches to the end of her branch, jumps, flips, spreads her wings--and falls. Down she goes, beak-first, eyes shut, smiling broadly. This lovely book's vertical format prompts readers to look longitudinally at each spread, up and down the trunk of a tall tree, following Mel's descent. The unusual orientation, coupled with the gripping idea of first flight (or fall!), inspires both excitement and anxiety. Muted pastel illustrations set against ample, bleached-out white space convey craggy bark, Mel's soft blue and russet feathers, and clusters of oval celadon leaves. Mel plummets, and animals (squirrels, bees, ants--even a spider and a realllllly slow-moving snail) scramble to help, adding humor. She crashes (into water!), and readers hold their breath, turning the book to follow her new trajectory. When Mel turns and shoots out of the water holding a fish in her beak, past her animal friends on the tree trunk, they will cheer. A note on kingfishers appears in the backmatter above a delightful picture of Mel nudging one of her siblings toward the end of the branch. Young people, who find themselves on the precipice of new activities, routines, schools, and challenges so frequently, will savor this little kingfisher's success and perhaps feel they can right themselves the next time they fall into a downward spiral. Encourages children to feel brave, to try, and to believe they can soar. (Picture book. 4-10) Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
