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Fly, Chick, Fly!
In the middle of a wood there is a chick who will not fly. "Not I!" she cries to Mother Owl and Father Owl. She flaps, she flips, she flops and hops back into the nest. Time passes and seasons change, but still she refuses to fly. Will she ever learn to let go and soar up into the open sky?
32 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 2012
About the author
Jeanne Willis
487 books118 followersJeanne Willis was born in St Albans and trained as an advertising copywriter at Watford College. She worked for various agencies creating press adverts and TV, cinema and radio commercials. She is now a full-time writer and has published over 80 books. Her hobbies include gardening, reading (non-fiction), natural history and collecting caterpillars. Jeanne has also worked on scripts for TV, including POLLY POCKET and THE SLOW NORRIS, and a pilot TV series for DR XARGLE. She lives in North London with her husband and two children.
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Displaying 1 - 23 of 23 reviews
December 31, 2022
Cute art matched with a rhythmic tale
November 24, 2013
The heart-warming story of ‘Fly, Chick, Fly!’ is about three owl chicks that leave the nest and fly to find their own homes and new lives. Except one little chick, who is too afraid. Through each season she flaps, she flips and she flops until one time she flew and found her own life too.
‘Fly, Chick, Fly!’ is a story that could support a number of curriculum areas including, geography, science, art and maths in Key Stage 1 or Year 3 in Key Stage 2. For Early years it also provides an excellent cross-curricular link between literacy and mathematics for the teaching of subtraction in Reception. For example, as each owl chick flied away, you could ask how many are left? The story could provide the basis for introducing the concept of subtraction.
The story is centred on the growth of the chicks and the change in seasons. In regards to Key Stage 1 and 2, the story could be used again as a cross-curricular link to science and seasons. Questioning what seasons follow one another, what vegetation grows in each season and what sort of food would the owls have found in each season? In addition to seasons, a class could also investigate life cycles and how owls and other animals spawn, develop and grow to live on their own.
Yet most importantly I value the story as it depicts Overall this enchanting story with its soft and warming images tells a tale about trial and error and the importance of never giving up.
‘Fly, Chick, Fly!’ is a story that could support a number of curriculum areas including, geography, science, art and maths in Key Stage 1 or Year 3 in Key Stage 2. For Early years it also provides an excellent cross-curricular link between literacy and mathematics for the teaching of subtraction in Reception. For example, as each owl chick flied away, you could ask how many are left? The story could provide the basis for introducing the concept of subtraction.
The story is centred on the growth of the chicks and the change in seasons. In regards to Key Stage 1 and 2, the story could be used again as a cross-curricular link to science and seasons. Questioning what seasons follow one another, what vegetation grows in each season and what sort of food would the owls have found in each season? In addition to seasons, a class could also investigate life cycles and how owls and other animals spawn, develop and grow to live on their own.
Yet most importantly I value the story as it depicts Overall this enchanting story with its soft and warming images tells a tale about trial and error and the importance of never giving up.
September 15, 2015
I read this sweet picture storybook to my pre-schooler today. She loved it and so did I. Great story telling for little children, depicting parents (a mother owl and father owl) working together to bring their chicks into the world and encouraging them to fly off on their own when they were old enough to leave the nest.
The moral of the story: to have courage and not let fear stop you from trying something new in life.
The moral of the story: to have courage and not let fear stop you from trying something new in life.
July 24, 2019
Emotive illustrations painted in soft colors enhance this gentle story about a young owl afraid to learn to fly. Children will definitely relate to this little owl, afraid to try something new and then succeeding.
February 27, 2019
A snowy owl couple is caring for 3 eggs. The father hunts for the mother as she incubates the eggs. Once the eggs hatch the father owl hunts for all the chicks and the mother fed them. Eventually the chicks learn how to fly; except for chick number 3. She's afraid to fly. What if a crow gets her or she gets wet or she gets hit by a train?
Father and mother beg her to fly. Soon she does and she's glad she does.
Father and mother beg her to fly. Soon she does and she's glad she does.
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September 22, 2019A baby chick refuses to fly. Time keeps passing and the chick keeps refusing.
December 11, 2020
Very beautiful and peaceful book
October 31, 2014
This is a sweet picture book telling the story of a little owlet who is afraid to fly. Baby owl has indeed good reason to be wary: the third and last born of three chicks she has seen both her older sister and brother flapping, flipping and flopping in their efforts to master the art, and when they finally did manage to fly they never came back! Time passes and as one season merges into the next baby owl is still in the nest. In spite of the calls of Mother and Father Owl - "Fly...You belong in the sky!" - she was too scared to even give it a try.
What I liked most about this book were the illustrations, the beautiful pastels which add a great deal to the story. In particular, they bring to life the fears of the baby owl in her first tentative steps towards independence: the picture of the menacing black crow she imagines is out to get her, the terrifying train that could hit her and the image of the owlet herself desperately clinging to a branch staring in trepidation at the countryside below. This book would be ideal for childern from around Reception to Year 2 and could be linked to many curriculum areas from Literacy, to PSHE, to topics such as lifecycles or habitats. With its repetitive language, aliteration and rhyming passages I think it would make a great book for helping children to develop phonological awareness or as an introduction to poetic language.
The undelying message of courage, of how hard but ultimately rewarding it is to be brave and to try new things is an important one for young childern. If I have my reserves about this book - and this why I have given it two stars rather than three - it is the rather conservative vision of family life that it promotes, with Dad going hunting and Mum in the nest minding the chicks. And in the end the high point of baby owl's achievement growing into the replica of her mother, with a chick of her own. Of course these are owls and not human beings, and this is the adult in me speaking, but if this unending repetition was all that lay in store for us, one wonders, given the huge emotional investment that goes into our struggles towards independence, would it even be worth it.
What I liked most about this book were the illustrations, the beautiful pastels which add a great deal to the story. In particular, they bring to life the fears of the baby owl in her first tentative steps towards independence: the picture of the menacing black crow she imagines is out to get her, the terrifying train that could hit her and the image of the owlet herself desperately clinging to a branch staring in trepidation at the countryside below. This book would be ideal for childern from around Reception to Year 2 and could be linked to many curriculum areas from Literacy, to PSHE, to topics such as lifecycles or habitats. With its repetitive language, aliteration and rhyming passages I think it would make a great book for helping children to develop phonological awareness or as an introduction to poetic language.
The undelying message of courage, of how hard but ultimately rewarding it is to be brave and to try new things is an important one for young childern. If I have my reserves about this book - and this why I have given it two stars rather than three - it is the rather conservative vision of family life that it promotes, with Dad going hunting and Mum in the nest minding the chicks. And in the end the high point of baby owl's achievement growing into the replica of her mother, with a chick of her own. Of course these are owls and not human beings, and this is the adult in me speaking, but if this unending repetition was all that lay in store for us, one wonders, given the huge emotional investment that goes into our struggles towards independence, would it even be worth it.
January 31, 2015
Another in my personal Jeanne Willis mini-series. She is teamed again with the wonderful Tony Ross as illustrator - the two work so well together. However, his style in this book is completely different, blurry pastels, and the contrast is very interesting. He still conveys a great deal very simply.
The story has a rhythm but I felt it was a bit more ordinary than her best. I liked the way the asynchronous hatching and fledging was tied to other natural events.
The story has a rhythm but I felt it was a bit more ordinary than her best. I liked the way the asynchronous hatching and fledging was tied to other natural events.
July 15, 2025
Very sweet story about a family of owls encouraging their littlest one to take flight. Easy rhythm to the words, without being too sing-songy. Text is a little basic though, kept it from that 4th star for me, but still would be a good read for younger ones. I loved the illustrations, with my favorite being the little owl peeking out of the tree after saying Nope! Would be a good one to read in a storytime or STEM program on owls or flying or even seasons.
September 16, 2012
Not a new story, but nicely told, and the pastels will be a fresh medium for many readers. I liked how the passage of time was tied to natural events--blossoms falling, blackberries ripening--but that this was still set in a world with buildings and trains as well as trees and fields.
January 3, 2013
Age: Toddler+
Animal: Owls
An easy-to-read story about one little chick who just does not want to fly, fearful of the elements. My favorite part of the book is tying time with natural occurrences, such as blackberries forming green, ripening, then falling.
Animal: Owls
An easy-to-read story about one little chick who just does not want to fly, fearful of the elements. My favorite part of the book is tying time with natural occurrences, such as blackberries forming green, ripening, then falling.
February 24, 2015
Gorgeous illustrations by Tony Ross, in soft pastels. An unusual medium for him, but just perfect for the subject and the text. Both Ross and Willis have used a very light touch, and every inch of every page is spot on!
May 9, 2012
Love the pastel illustrations, the text and story are okay, could have had some more emotional connection to why decisions are made.
May 30, 2012
This is a lovely story about gaining the courage to fly. Independence themes. It is quite rhythmic though it is not written in verse.
August 16, 2012
A visual delight! And courage wins out!
September 20, 2012
This is a simple and familiar story about an owl chick who is reluctant to take her first flight.
October 19, 2012
Parents coax reluctant baby owl to take first flight from the nest.
January 29, 2013
The illustrations were pretty and really the heart of the book. The story was far from interesting, however.
November 5, 2014
I wasn't really excited by this book. For once, I like the words better than the illustrations. It's not bad, but I won't go searching for it again either.
April 21, 2015
So pretty! Lovely word imagery too, and a nice message about courage and trying new things.
April 30, 2016
This book was lovely. With it's picturesque text and repeating phrases and its soft, pastel illustrations, this book was simply lovely.
October 21, 2015
My 4 year old was like...just fly bird...just fly.
Displaying 1 - 23 of 23 reviews