Charlie Sparrow and the Secret of Flight

by David Anderson

Charlie Sparrow has no idea he can fly. It’s no wonder–in Tree City, none of the birds know anything about flying at all. Not Charlie’s parents, not his friends, not the doctors or police. But Charlie is sure there’s a magical secret behind his feathers. He’ll do anything to find out what it is, even break the laws of Tree City. Will he figure out the truth before Doctor Nightingale straps him in the plucking chair and pulls the lever, plucking his beautiful feathers for good?

This entertaining and inspiring chapter book for kids aged 6-9 has over thirty illustrations. Available at Amazon.

Genres: Childrens

60 pages, Kindle Edition

First published January 1, 2013

Reviews

[Fran · Rating 5 out of 5]

Charlie Sparrow and the Secret of Flight: David Anderson

Acceptance is something that many people never attain especially when they are born with a disability. Some are disabilities affect their learning while others inhibit them physically. Children all too often learn from their parents to walk away from another child that appears to be different or even a different race or color. Charlie Sparrow is special and believe it or not can fly. Now, what is so amazing about that? Well: Charlie has not idea why he can fly or how he learned. Sometimes we are born with an innate ability to do something and it just comes naturally. Other times we try really hard and practice a sport, instrument or in this case flying moves you might say to excel at something that makes us unique and special. Charlie lives in a place called Tree City where no other bird can fly. His parents, not his other bird friends or even the doctors living there can fly. But, Charlie has feathers and when he starts to think about them he feels that just maybe his are magical secret ones that allow him to do special things.

Charlie loves to climb the stairs, his first time out climbing up the staircases of their trees something stirs within him and what happens shocks the Blackbirds, Woodpeckers and his parents. Next, he and Fanny Finch decide to see who can swing the highest and what happens causes his mother concern and forces her to put him to bed. Poor Charlie!

Some doctors really care about their patients while others like Dr. Nightingale well you decide. Old, really scary looking when you see his picture and not very friendly poor Charlie meets this man and what he says will definitely not set well with Charlie and forces him to take action on his own. Telling his parents that he has a rare disease called Leaping Syndrome, which he states, has caused many of the younger birds to jump off beds, chairs and even countertops and get hurt. Poor Mrs. Sparrow never really looked into whether this disease really exists and instead goes along with what he states is the only cure claiming the disease is defined in the Tree City Dictionary of Medical Conditions which any parent should have asked to have seen first hand. Now, there is a cure he states but that would mean a serious operation to remove all of his beautiful feathers and our Charlie was not going to have any of that nor would he give up that easily. Good for you Charlie. Differences are what make each one of us unique and special but in Tree City that was a total negative. No one wanted a child that excelled in something that they knew nothing about and others did not even want to learn more.

Charlie smart, resourceful and definitely persistent and loves to swing from high paces. But, when diagnosed with this rare disease his parents just want him cured. But, Charlie will lose this battle and rather than do what his parents want he manages to escape from the plucking chair through the picture window winding up coming face to face with another Dr. Nightingale named Percy. Charlie is about to learn that he is not alone. There are other birds that are different too and just want to fly. Charlie watches the birth of a magnificent butterfly as she alights from her cocoon and flies for the first time. Watching the butterfly spread her wings he too realizes that he needs to go after his dreams and not give up on himself. But, things change for him when he meets Dr. Percy and he enters the Leaping Cavern and meets the other birds. What I really love is how the author introduces the other birds, explains their differences and they talk about them in what he called The Share Circle. As an educator I find this really great as the other characters or in this case the duckling, eaglet and finch are part of this group and can talk about their successes and what some call think is a disease. A safe place for Charlie and the others. Disease or just the fact that he and so many others are birds and have what they call The Leap. Welcoming Charlie and learning that he can express himself freely, embrace the differences of others and his own is what makes this book stand out as this and other lessons are brought to light for young readers.


When Charlie realizes that there are others just like him that just want to be able to jump, leap and swing he feels encouraged. But, when you enter the Leaping Cavern you won’t believe the magic that happens within its walls and the things that each of these birds can accomplish. But, sometimes things do not always go as planned and Charlie hoped to win his parents over and prayed that they would find another way to deal with his flying. After seeing the butterfly and flying with her he realized the real secret but please don’t tell: Birds have wings!

Parents always want what is best for their children and when Charlie introduces his mother to his friends he thinks that everything is going to be okay but never realized that his father went in another direction. Not really understanding that Charlie was just a normal Sparrow who had special feathers allowing him to fly his father enlisted the help of the Geese Police and poor Dr. Percy was arrested. But, nothing will stop Charlie and his friends from going to the cavern and practicing. Poor Charlie really wants to teach the others what he can do but he’s not really sure how because he learned by accident. Never give up on us was what the others said and Charlie will not.

Poor Dr. Percy was arrested for so many crimes. Can Charlie do anything to help him? Will looking at his wings explain why he can fly? Into the courtroom came Charlie, his friends, their parents and Judge Trimble the presiding hummingbird who was so tiny it took some loud humming to be heard. As the prosecuting attorney a stork with a monocle begins questioning Mr. Sparrow we find out why he called in the police, what he really thinks about Dr. Percy and how lawyers can twist the words of witnesses. When people do not understand something they often react in the wrong way. Poor Mr. Sparrow did not realize that Dr. Percy was trying to teach these birds how to excel at what I would call their special talent and instead they sited the poor doctor with tons of crimes and violations. What do you think of these offenses: building platforms for jumping into water and what about creating an underground hole? You decide after you hear the testimony if Dr. Percy is guilty or innocent. Wait until you hear what one of the Inspectors shouts out. Poor Dr. Percy won’t anyone defend him? Wait until you hear the testimony of his brother and what he states are the dangers of this dreaded Leaping Disease. Is he jealous or is he right?

Dr. Percy is the next witness and although he admits to breaking the law and having Leaping Syndrome he asks to be heard. Feeling different, misunderstood can make any young child or adult feel alone, scared and even like as the author states an outcast. What is so bad about loving heights and enjoying the fun of jumping from high places? As he relates his childhood, when he realized he was different the author shares through Dr. Percy what many adults, teens and young children experience when people do not understand the differences of others or even try to understand them. Adding in his opinion of the Feather Removal Chair and the response of the Stork. But, the judge finally cracks her gavel and the stork retreats to his chair. So, what will the sentence be and what will happen to all of Dr. Percy’s good work? What will the verdict be? You won’t believe the sentence and you definitely won’t believe what Charlie does. Wings that’s all I will tell you. The end result and what happens is quite remarkable.

Author David Anderson provides the illustrations that help make the story come alive. The many varieties of birds, the judge who might be tiny but whose voice and power are present and the friendships he forms are invaluable. What lessons can be learned by all: differences are what makes us special. What we do not understand we need to question and learn more about.

What is the end result and will the law against leaping be changed? What about the Leaping Cavern? Will the other birds learn to fly? Find out when you read Charlie Sparrow and the Secret of Flight and hopefully our author will bring him back with the same cast of characters and more in another book. Cute pencil drawings help add some humor and a cartoon affect to the story. Kids can color them in add some color to the book when they read and reread it.

Some communities and adults are set in their ways and that is often taught to their children too. Parents can learn tolerance as well as children too. Friendship and understand are two issues that are brought to light as well as loyalty, kindness and the importance of listening to your children and hearing what that say. Charlie is special and is definitely unique. Tree City is made up of adults set in their ways and his parents have a lot to learn about him before they will accept Charlie for who he is? Will they come around? Each bird is unique and each one has his/her own talent that the author brings out. But, what will their final fate be? Will they fly or will they lose the one thing that makes each one of them who they are? Both adults and children can learn many lessons from Charlie. A definite must read for children 6-9 and even for adults to understand that being different is what makes Charlie and others special. Loved this book.

Fran Lewis: reviewer

[Emily Martha · Rating 3 out of 5]

When I received the opportunity to read a free copy of Charlie Sparrow and the Secret of Flight, I thought, "Well . . . why not?" Talking animal books aren't really my thing, mostly because I tend to feel like the animals are over-anthropomorphized (just humans in different shape). But this book pleasantly surprised me.

I liked the concept of a society of birds who don't know they are capable of flight; the concept was executed surprisingly well, too, way better than I expected. I kept on asking myself the question, "Yeah, but why is Charlie the only bird to figure it out?" -- and the author answered it pretty satisfactorily. The conflict was interesting and well-executed, the writing flows smoothly, and the number of illustrations in the book surprised and impressed me. All to the good.

The illustrations I'm more neutral about, as they're a bit amateur. Still, since the author drew them himself, I feel this is mitigated by the coolness of the author doing his own illustrating. The illustrations for the covers are a bit more problematic to me, since the coloring looks like it was done in markers by a nine-year-old kid, and that's not a very appealing coloring style to me. But the overall design of the front and back covers are great, and I think a nine-year-old kid might very well like the coloring style of the cover illustrations better than me, so that's okay.

So why the three stars? Well, there were two serious issues, and two minor ones, and I couldn't overlook these.

The first minor issue is that there are quite a few typos, for a book this size. I think I counted about five or six in the first thirty pages. Now, after that, I don't think I noticed any, so it just needs a little proofreading at the beginning. Still, I do think these could have been noticed before publication and fixed (a missing closing quotation mark, a lack of space between two words, "suspensiong" bridge, that sort of thing).

The second minor issue is a scene with a butterfly. I think it's very cool that Charlie gets his idea about flying from watching a butterfly (very good idea!), but there's a noticeable error, in that the butterfly is supposed to have just emerged from its chrysalis:

"The butterfly flapped its wings once, then twice, and, on a third time, rose up into the air."

Can you spot the issue? Newly emerged butterflies cannot fly. It takes several hours before their wings dry, and only then it is safe to flap them. Yes, it's a nitpick, but there is no good reason why it *had* to be a butterfly just emerging from its chrysalis, and many children in this age group will be aware of this fact, since it's a common science project in elementary school to study a chrysalis and make notes about it.

These two issues only knock it down to four and a half stars for me. Unfortunately, there are two more issues that are much more major. Spoilers ensue, so do not read these unless you are okay with this.

At the midpoint of the book, the main character's father does something that is an out-and-out betrayal. He goes from seeming like a skeptic to very unlikeable indeed. He later explains himself as "I was trying to do this for your own good," but as he had promised not ten pages ago to promise to give it a chance (and then left to betray his son's secret BEFORE doing this), he seems inexcusable to me. Worse still, there is no confrontation about it, no consequences to *him,* and no apology. The only thing we get along these lines is this:

Mrs. Sparrow: "She had barely spoken to Mr. Sparrow since."
Charlie: "At first he had been angry, but he knew his dad was only trying to protect him. Now he was only sad."

These would have been sufficient if they had come AFTER a huge confrontation and blow-up and a declaration that Charlie's father had betrayed him, but they did not. It came across, therefore, that his father was totally excused for betraying Charlie *despite promising to give it one chance.* Particularly when you consider the consequences of his father's betrayal, and the fact that it affected absolutely everybody in the hidden community and not just Charlie, this was a BIG DEAL. Charlie's father needed to apologize, and Charlie needed to confront him about it.

Even this is only a moderate problem, since you could excuse it as a difference in personalities. (Maybe.) But the other problem drove me out of the story completely.

At the climax of the book, there is a court ruling that is absolutely horrifying. The judge goes way further than I had anticipated, way past justice into downright persecution. The judge's punishment for Charlie's people in and of itself, I can see -- but the judge's punishment for the doctor is outright and blatant cruelty. (How anybody could think that forcing a doctor to *personally remove the feathers* of his former patients -- a procedure that he had already made clear he considered reprehensible in every possible way -- was okay --!)

I figured it would take a truly spectacular fight back from the main character to combat this. Unfortuantely, we got . . . nothing. He hopped up in the air and showed that he could fly. Oh, yippee. Suddenly, absolutely everybody changes their mind about the whole thing, the judge is shocked and does a complete 180, all problems are solved, and everything is hunky-dory.

Uh . . . what?

Too easy. Too easy. *Much* too easy. It was completely unbelievable, after setting up such a huge conflict through their whole society, and then whamming us with such a horrifying climax.

If this were realistic, Charlie's flying would have raised the stakes even further, leading to the judge (who was, remember, clearly strongly biased against his minority) coming down even harder on him, possibly leading to Charlie leading his friends to have to flee their society. Could that work in a children's book? Sure. In fact, it would have been an even stronger story thematically, because it would have shown that standing up for yourself can have major consequences, but that even when these happen, you keep standing up for yourself and don't give in. Children need to know this.

Could this have ultimately been solved in a peaceful and simpler way? Absolutely. Weeks of picketing and demonstrations that anybody can learn to fly would have been plausible enough. With the flying birds fleeing for now, and then sneaking back in to show their friends and neighbors that it was possible and safe, the whole thing could have caught on and been plausible within a few weeks.

But a shock in two seconds will not do it. To change societal attitudes takes time and exposure, and shock initially only drives people to react strongly -- not to *think.* When people get the time to think, they start to decide if they still believe what they had previously (many), or whether they have changed their minds now (many).

So . . . that's my really long review about it. It had real potential, this story, and it could have been an excellent example of a story for its age group. But it needed some major revision in those two points of the story, because it's broken without a real solution that children can learn from and believe.

That said, this author did an excellent job of writing, and I think he has the potential to write other books that are very good indeed.

[Billy Buttons · Rating 5 out of 5]

THE WISHING SHELF BOOK AWARDS
13th January 2018
TITLE: Charlie Sparrow and the Secret of Flight, Tales of Tree City, Book 1
AUTHOR: D. F. Anderson
Star Rating: 5

CATCHY QUOTE
‘A wonderful little chapter book from a very talented writer. Smoothly-written prose, a fascinating plot and a strong, determined hero to cheer for. Kids will love it!’ Wishing Shelf

REVIEW
I very much enjoyed this delightful chapter book for 6 – 9 year olds. The central premise is well-thought out and the characters are interesting and well-defined. There is plenty of pace, particularly towards the end, and the author has littered his story with an array of twists and turns.
It ticks almost every box for a ‘good children’s book’: a strong hero, a thoroughly exciting adventure, a light, accessible writing style and even a strong moral to keep parents happy!
Let’s start with pacing, a very important aspect of any adventure book. Well, this has it; lots of it. There’s plenty happening and, most importantly, it is happening to plenty of interesting characters. This book should keep any 8 year old, boy or girl, thoroughly absorbed.
All in all, the writing style is perfect for a children’s adventure novel. It has plenty of speech, short paragraphs and short chapters. Best of all, it’s not full of adverbs – which can kill any story – and the author knows when to ‘get things moving’.
Often, when I discuss a children’s novel, I tend to forget the illustrations. I’m an English teacher so, to me, a good book is all about writing style, plot, characters and setting. But, with this novel, I can’t. They are really good; so good, I stopped to enjoy them before reading on.
To sum up, a little gem of a story, perfect for 6 – 9 year olds; I’d happily recommend it to parents, and even to schools.

A ‘Wishing Shelf’ Book Review
www.thewsa.co.uk

[Jane · Rating 5 out of 5]

I was asked to review this by Librarything.com

This is a cute book and the author writes about birds that cannot fly- this is about being different and this is a great message for children and adults. We do not all conform to what is expected or the "norm" we need to be accepted for what we are.

This book highlights how the birds help each other- this is a simple message which children will understand it does not need anything other than this message. The illustrations are good.

Don't give up.

Recommended for 6 year olds and upward.

[Kat · Rating 5 out of 5]

Inspiration

My heart swelled, this author D.F.Anderson I am glad to say is like many adults who remember what it is to be a child full of adventure. As an adult it is our responsibility to encourage children to express themselves and learn life through trial and error, to me this story is a reminder in the sweetest way. I Recommend this book for adults and children alike. Kat

[Debbie · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a delightful story! I thoroughly enjoyed this children’s book and will gift it to my grandson! I look forward to reading and buying D.F. Anderson’s other Charlie sparrow books! Kudos also to Daniel McCloskey for the wonderful illustrations!

[Willow Mammoth · Rating 4 out of 5]

This story has a great portrayal of how to stand up for yourself and also how to be yourself. The resolution to the conflict of the protagonist's discoveries of flight did feel a little sudden, but other than that it was a cute story. It has cute illustrations as well.

[Sharon · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5 A lesson about daring to be different and trying to be all you can be. A book of possibilities and perseverance despite obstacles. Charlie is a strong-minded little bird who manages to overcome and become a teacher of others.

[Sarah Loew · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great read

We are larning how feathers help in flight. This is a good read to get imagination going for my students.

[Create With Joy · Rating 5 out of 5]

This review originally appeared at Create With Joy. Giveaway through May 19, 2013.

Have you ever met a bird who didn’t know he could fly?

Can you envision a whole town filled with birds who believe they have arms, not wings!

Imagine what life in Tree City – the place they call home – must be like!

In Charlie Sparrow and The Secret of Flight, David Anderson has created a delightful world you and your children will want to visit again and again!

In this book, you’ll meet Charlie Sparrow – a young bird who lives with his family in Tree City. Since none of the birds in Tree Town fly, they build staircases to get around. Charlie comes from a long line of staircase repairmen.

When the story opens, Charlie’s father is bursting with excitement as he takes Charlie on his first repair job. But, his excitement is short-lived when Charlie takes a 50 foot fall from the tree. His parents now fear for Charlie’s safety, and do all they can to protect him from further accidents – as any good parents would.

For Charlie, however, the fall awakens a “stirring” in him – particularly when he notices that he can slow down his fall by spreading his “arms”. He realizes there is something different about him – and he is intent on discovering what it is!

Charlie’s desire to follow his dream – even in the face of adversity – and to be accepted for who he is – will inspire young and old alike. Although the author calls this “an illustrated book for kids 6 to 9”, I believe it will delight audiences from 6 to 90!

Disclosure: I received a copy of this book from the author to review. I was not compensated or required to write a positive review. The opinions expressed in this review are entirely my own.

[Erik This Kid Reviews Books · Rating 4 out of 5]

Charlie Sparrow was going to help his Dad fix the guard rails in Tree City. The guard rails are there so no bird falls out of the tree they live in. In Charlie’s world, none of the birds fly. They actually don’t know they can fly! While Charlie is helping his dad, he slips and falls, but when he spreads his arms something miraculous happens! He floats down and lands softly below. Charlie realizes there is something special about the feathers on his arms. His parents take Charlie to see Doctor Nightingale. He says Charlie has Leaping Syndrome. The doctor recommends clipping Charlie’s feathers! Charlie needs to find out why feathers are special before he is plucked!

The story in the book was good. The plot had a message about how one person can make a change, even if it means going up against a whole bunch of people who don’t believe you. Charlie was a very good main character. He was brave and believed in himself. I really like the message the book gave. I didn’t care for the illustrations in the book and thought they didn’t really add to the story. The book was a quick read for me, but I didn’t think the story was cut short because of it.
**NOTE I received a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

[Mymcbooks · Rating 4 out of 5]

My Review: Charlie went with his dad to the top of the tree to help repair the long staircase that coiled around the tree. Mr Sparrow set Charlie down and started to hammer along the wood of the steps. When he looked up Charlie was no longer with him for he has climbed to the top of the stairs. Then there was a snap and Charlie came falling off the banister. Mr Sparrow leapt up the stairs to catch Charlie but it was too late as Charlie started to fall. You will think they will both fly to each other being a bird but neither sparrow knew how to fly. Then to Charlie surprise, he found he was floating and landed below the tree.

His parents became worried and called the doctor, who diagnoses him with having Leaping Syndrome and the only cure was to cut off his feathers. Will Charlie allow the doctor to remove his feathers?

An interesting chapter book for children ages 6 and up with 98 pages.



Disclaimer: As per FTC guidelines, I received a copy of this book from the author in exchange for my honest review. I received no monetary compensation. All opinions expressed here are mine and mine alone.

[Patricia Kemp Blackmon · Rating 4 out of 5]

Charlie Sparrow is very young and according to his parents he is acting strange by jumping from heights. This is not normal behavior he could harm himself. He has such long feathers that are out of the ordinary. His parents have always cut their feather back because they just get in the way. Especially for his father because he builds staircases to the very tops of the trees. Now it will be necessary to have Charlie's feathers completely removed. Charlie is determined to keep his feathers. His parents are so concerned he would end up hurting himself or worse. They must find someone to help him.

The author has a great imagination and a fun sense of humor. This really makes you think of how things can be turned around to make an entertaining story. You will also learn that it is okay to be different. I may be wrong but this type of illustration is probably appealing to children because it is not so unlike when they color a picture.

I recommend this book.

I rated this book a 4 out of 5.

Disclosure: I received a copy of this book from the author for review. I was in no way compensated for this review. This review is my honest opinion.

[Monica H at The Readathon · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a cute little story, with some scary parts. It is scary and tense when they try and de-feather Charlie, the whole court room scene, and the police raiding the hide-out. I didn't like the dad being so negative and mean, either. However, it does have some very good lessons about finding your wings, achieving your dreams, not giving up, and not letting those around you bring you down. It is clean besides the scary parts, and I would recommend it for second graders as a silent read, and five or six years-old and up as a read-aloud. You may read my full review on my book blog: www.the-readathon.blogspot.com.

[Susan · Rating 5 out of 5]

David pens "Charlie Sparrow and the Secret of Flight" in a truly unique plot about birds that cannot fly. The author touches on the subject of being different and acceptance in such a way that my 6 year old nephew could understand and relate to. I was impressed with the simple, yet message yielding illustrations throughout the book that make the whole story line come to life. A total must read for children ages 6 and up, and also for adults.

This review is based on a complimentary copy from the author which was provided for an honest review.

[Joanne Lecuyer · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed the story. I liked that Charlie didn't give up even though he was different. I think this is a very good message for kids today. When we stand up for ourselves, we are usually standing up for others!

[Darlene · Rating 4 out of 5]

I definitely like this book and will sit down with my son and daughter to read. because I think we all need to learn to accept each other the way we are. It also shows them how the birds, sparrow help each other.
cant wait to read to my kids and see what they say. thanks. recommend for all kids