What do you think?
Rate this book
Falling Angels
Dreams, imagination, growing up and a very special relationship between a young girl and her grandmother are at the heart of this beautifully illustrated book from a master storyteller.
‘ The first time Sally flew was before she could even crawl. As her parents slept, she floated above them, too young to speak, too young to think in words .’
Sally is just a baby when she first begins to soar above her house and over the garden. Soon she sees her brother and other children floating over the rooftops. But her mother is skeptical. “You and your ridiculous stories.
It's time you came down to earth.” Only her grandmother believes her and every night, Sally returns with a special present for the old lady – a butterfly, an opal, an orchid. She recalls her own travels as a little girl and explains that everyone has the power to fly, “only they've forgotten how. It's called growing up.”
One day, Sally and her grandmother fly together to a land of warm sunshine and lagoons, where grandmother dreams of her favourite place, then draws her last breath and stays forever. But Sally never forgets her dreams and when she, at last, has children of her own, she flies with them – to the Aztec ruins, to fields of snow and finally to the golden beach by the clear lagoon.
‘ The first time Sally flew was before she could even crawl. As her parents slept, she floated above them, too young to speak, too young to think in words .’
Sally is just a baby when she first begins to soar above her house and over the garden. Soon she sees her brother and other children floating over the rooftops. But her mother is skeptical. “You and your ridiculous stories.
It's time you came down to earth.” Only her grandmother believes her and every night, Sally returns with a special present for the old lady – a butterfly, an opal, an orchid. She recalls her own travels as a little girl and explains that everyone has the power to fly, “only they've forgotten how. It's called growing up.”
One day, Sally and her grandmother fly together to a land of warm sunshine and lagoons, where grandmother dreams of her favourite place, then draws her last breath and stays forever. But Sally never forgets her dreams and when she, at last, has children of her own, she flies with them – to the Aztec ruins, to fields of snow and finally to the golden beach by the clear lagoon.
32 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 2001
5 people are currently reading
72 people want to read
About the author
Colin Thompson
122 books122 followersSince he started writing and illustrating children's books in 1990, Colin Thompson has had more than 50 books published. He has received several awards, including an Aurealis Award for the novel HOW TO LIVE FOREVER and the CBC Picture Book of the Year in 2006 for THE SHORT AND INCREDIBLY HAPPY LIFE OF RILEY. He has been shortlisted for many other awards, including the Astrid Lindgren Award - the most prestigious children's literature prize in the world.
Librarian Note: There is more than one author in the Goodreads database with this name.
Colin lives in Bellingen, Australia. His books with Random House Australia include HOW TO LIVE FOREVER, numerous picture books, THE FLOODS series, THE DRAGONS series, THE BIG LITTLE BOOK OF HAPPY SADNESS picture book, which has been shortlisted for the 2009 Children’s Book Council Award for Best Picture Book, and FREE TO A GOOD HOME.
Librarian Note: There is more than one author in the Goodreads database with this name.
Colin lives in Bellingen, Australia. His books with Random House Australia include HOW TO LIVE FOREVER, numerous picture books, THE FLOODS series, THE DRAGONS series, THE BIG LITTLE BOOK OF HAPPY SADNESS picture book, which has been shortlisted for the 2009 Children’s Book Council Award for Best Picture Book, and FREE TO A GOOD HOME.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews
October 21, 2019
A book that had me totally immersed in the intricate illustrations, it had the ability to get me totally lost in my imagination.
A beautifully emotive story that reminds us to take our time to stretch our imagination and to spend our time on earth exploring everything the world has to offer. A totally brilliant story that adults and children could spend hours unpicking and getting lost in.
"If you keep flying... you could spend all your life in daytime
"One by one, she visited them again and when she came to her favourite place, she too her last breath and stayed there forever".
A beautifully emotive story that reminds us to take our time to stretch our imagination and to spend our time on earth exploring everything the world has to offer. A totally brilliant story that adults and children could spend hours unpicking and getting lost in.
"If you keep flying... you could spend all your life in daytime
"One by one, she visited them again and when she came to her favourite place, she too her last breath and stayed there forever".
Read
October 15, 2020I loved the illustrations for this book. I found them so detailed and interesting and you could spend ages looking at them, exploring them, talking about how the pictures made you feel. I love the pages showing how some people view the world with their eyes and some people view the world with love. I think it would be a lovely book to explore with a class- going on an imaginary tour around the world and trying to get the children to draw, or create music, or write about how they see the world. I like the way you can make your own interpretations about the characters. Are they dead as the title suggests? using their imagination? or just dreaming? I think you could use this book to make some good cross-curricular links to geography exploring different parts of the world, looking at the northern and southern hemisphere when it is day/night and also choosing a place of interest and letting the children do some inquiry-based learning into where they have chosen to tell the rest of the class.
January 28, 2019
Lovely story about a girl and her grandmother and their relationship. Grandmother passes but it isnt obvious. Story is about the importance of imagination. Art work in amazing! A lot of little things for children to spot whilst being read to.
November 15, 2021
What a beautifully strange book! Such fascinating illustrations that really put the story into perspective.
March 11, 2020
This has long been one of my favourite picture books, mainly to its whimsical philosophical depth. It will suit adults just as much as children. It's a reminder to keep your dreams, to treasure exploration, to value the little things in life, and to love and honour those who have walked before us. The illustrations are totally wonderful, too. I love the picture of Sally landing in the fields of snow and leaving the very first human footprints; the picture of her grandmother's special box; and the page consisting of nothing but doors opening to reveal the treasures behind each one.
If you love stories with emotion that make you think, read this book!
If you enjoyed this book, try Colin Thompson's books, The Violin Man and The Paradise Garden.
If you love stories with emotion that make you think, read this book!
If you enjoyed this book, try Colin Thompson's books, The Violin Man and The Paradise Garden.
October 10, 2019
Interesting concepts that make you think about thinks you believed as a child and how thats changed.
December 27, 2012
A softer picture book from Colin Thompson which tells the story of Sally, a girl who can fly. The illustrations just teem with colour and detail and are worth a second or third look to appreciate the many facets and aspects. The book follows Sally's travels through fantastical landscapes, from her parents' bedroom to the neighbourhood (in which odd things can be found, like a giant pencil and a giant cassette), Asian and African lands which teem with absurdist elements. Throughout all this a boat with a red sail is never far away, following Sally along the current of her adventures.
In a feat of Escherian confusion, a box of Sally's grandmother's collectables shows multiple dimensions and depths so that the reader appears to be looking both at and down on the occupants. Very clever. The next page depicts umpteen doors which are subsequently opened to reveal all manner of cute and clever and interesting things. There's so much recurring detail packed into these pages that it's a book that rewards multiple readings, in a similar way to a Graeme Base book. Superb.
In a feat of Escherian confusion, a box of Sally's grandmother's collectables shows multiple dimensions and depths so that the reader appears to be looking both at and down on the occupants. Very clever. The next page depicts umpteen doors which are subsequently opened to reveal all manner of cute and clever and interesting things. There's so much recurring detail packed into these pages that it's a book that rewards multiple readings, in a similar way to a Graeme Base book. Superb.
September 3, 2007
Spellbindingly surreal illustrations contrast with matter-of-fact narrative to relay this thought provoking story of perspective, choice and inter-generational connection: “All you have to do is keep your dreams”.
Other books mentioned:
* Fly, Eagle, Fly
* I Can Hear the Sun
* Tudley Didn’t Know
* Gifts
More books about flying:
* Isla
* Camilla’s New Hairdo
* Cat & Canary
Listen to our chat about this on our JustOneMoreBook.com Children's Book Podcast:
http://www.justonemorebook.com/2007/0...
Other books mentioned:
* Fly, Eagle, Fly
* I Can Hear the Sun
* Tudley Didn’t Know
* Gifts
More books about flying:
* Isla
* Camilla’s New Hairdo
* Cat & Canary
Listen to our chat about this on our JustOneMoreBook.com Children's Book Podcast:
http://www.justonemorebook.com/2007/0...
September 25, 2012
An odd and beautiful book that ultimately will speak to middle graders and adults more than it will to very young children. The message to not give up on the magic and wonder of dreams and childhood could not be more clearly stated. Another little treasure I'll look forward to reading my children when they grow older, I think. The passing of the girl's grandmother makes it tricky to introduce since there will be a whole group of other questions to deal with in that.
May 2, 2009
This is one of the loveliest books I hve touched in a very long time. Of course the illustrations are magnificant however- the story touches me in ways I cannot even begin to sescribe. This is abook about seeig the orld with your heart and sould not just your eyes!
October 15, 2012
An exquisitely imaginative picture/story book with illustrations the reader can mull over and constantly find something new. This book captures all the dreams and mood and fantasies of childhood and reminds us that these are gifts that we should hold onto forever.
November 7, 2016
This book has beautiful illustrations and a lovely story about a girl who can fly. It reminded me of the importance of spending time with your family and especially your grandparents. Also, it is important to not grow up too quickly and keep using your imagination.
September 4, 2012
beautiful. lovely. dreamy.
Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews