Fly High, Fly Low

by Don Freeman

Fly High, Fly Low, a Caldecott Honor book, tells the story of two San Francisco birds who hatch some eggs in a very unconventional place--the letter "B" in the sign on top of the Bay Hotel. But what happens when the sign is taken down? Told with Freeman's typical humor and simplicity, the book features breathtaking vistas of San Francisco. Will's Quill tells the story of Willoughby Waddles, a goose in Shakespearean London who longs to be useful. When he befriends a young playwright named Will, Willoughby may have found the perfect way to help out--by giving up some goosefeathers. Could these feathers--and this friendship--be just what the playwright needs?

Genres: Picture Books, Childrens, Fiction, Animals, Birds, 1st Grade, Family

64 pages, Paperback

First published August 2, 1957

About the author

Don Freeman was a painter, printmaker, cartoonist, children's book author, and illustrator. He was born in San Diego, California, attended high school in Missouri, and later moved to New York City where he studied etching with John Sloan.
Frequent subjects included Broadway theatre, politics, and the circus. He was also a jazz musician, and the brother of circus entrepreneur Randy Freeman.

Reviews

[Calista · Rating 4 out of 5]

San Francisco is the lovely setting for this book. The Golden Gate Bridge has a part to play in this story as well. It’s a fantastic city.

This book is about 2 pigeons. We start out with a pigeon fellow making his nest in a big shiny letter B and all the pigeons think he is so weird. His letter is moved with his new wife in it and he has to find his wife and children. I also like the character of Mr. Hi Lee, an older gentleman who feeds the birds everyday. He’s a wonderful character.

The lovely art looks like it’s been done with colored pencils. There are beautiful details. The city is like a main character in the story too. The niece and nephew have never been to San Fran and I told them how amazing the city is. They will get to go someday. They love Disney and before that New Orleans, but I told them San Fran is even better. Anyway, the nephew gave this book 4 stars and the niece gave it 3; she thought the pacing was slow. She used those words, little smarty.

[Melki · Rating 4 out of 5]

Freeman presents a delightful story about a pigeon and a dove who build a nest in the letter B of a hotel sign. It manages to be both a salute to the adaptability of city birds, AND a love letter to San Francisco.

[Michael Fitzgerald · Rating 4 out of 5]

Sid and Midge are just as black and white as the rabbits in The Rabbits' Wedding from one year later, but I never hear this book mentioned as having an interracial agenda.

[Luisa Knight · Rating 4 out of 5]

A fun story about two pigeons in San Francisco that pick a sign for a home. Freeman always does a nice job with his characters and his illustrations bring them to life wonderfully.

Ages: 4 - 8

Cleanliness: nothing to note.

**Like my reviews? Then you should follow me! Because I have hundreds more just like this one. With each review, I provide a Cleanliness Report, mentioning any objectionable content I come across so that parents and/or conscientious readers (like me) can determine beforehand whether they want to read a book or not. Content surprises are super annoying, especially when you’re 100+ pages in, so here’s my attempt to help you avoid that!

So Follow or Friend me here on GoodReads! And be sure to check out my bio page to learn a little about me and the Picture Book/Chapter Book Calendars I sell on Etsy!

[Joe · Rating 4 out of 5]

The secret is: this book is for grown-ups who like children's books. For kids, not so much. I loved it. My grandson listened intently for one reading, then never wanted to see it again. From a child, that's a two-star review.

The story is sort of Make Way for Ducklings set on the West Coast, with San Francisco instead of Boston and pigeons instead of ducks. It's about the hazards - and beauty - of big city life for birds who depend on the kindness of strangers. The birds' quest for their nest leads them across the cityscape and introduces warm (and multi-ethnic) human characters. If you love San Francisco, the color drawings are wonderful. Kids, though, need a more compelling story.

[Kate Foran · Rating 3 out of 5]

I'm a little sorry to give this book three stars because I loved it more than that--but I rate based on read aloud value...and this book is a bit of a challenge to a 5 yo's attention span.

It is, like others have said, like a West Coast "Make Way for Ducklings" starring pigeons, and it will warm your heart. It's very slow to get to the action, however. My kid complained through the pages that set the scene of Sid and Midge's life in San Francisco, but when their home and nest and 2 EGGS are suddenly dislodged by what feels like an earthquake--then she was riveted until the end of the book.

So, read aloud rating for a 5 year old = about a 3, maybe a 3.5. Grown ups will rate it higher.

[Jasen · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fantastic! Lovely artwork throughout city of San Francisco with a tale of independence, love, & grit from a pair of pigeons that seem so much nicer & cleaner than the ones I normally see downtown. 😊🐦

My three year old was mesmerized & I’ve always loved the author’s wide array of characters.

[Kadie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved the illustrations and the story. I kept reading even after my son fell asleep.

[Laura · Rating 4 out of 5]

Caldecott Honor 1958
3.5 stars

[Juli Anna · Rating 3 out of 5]

Gorgeous, classic illustrations and an uplifting story. The San Francisco setting was particularly well-rendered and appealing.

[Amy · Rating 4 out of 5]

A couple of pigeons build a nest inside of a letter "B" on a sign in San Francisco. They eat snacks given to them by Mr. Hi Lee and enjoy their lives flying throughout the bay area. But one day, disaster strikes when men remove the sign and the couple is broken up. Will they ever be reunited? Can Mr. Lee save them?

Matt Tavares' holiday story, Red & Lulu, is a similar tale.

[Rachel · Rating 4 out of 5]

Geez, books from the 1940s-60s were long! This one was 56 pages, which is rather long for a toddler. We had to read this one in two sittings. Aside from that, I really enjoyed the book, though my son didn't seem too bothered by it. It is the story of Sid and Midge, two pigeons who live in San Francisco. Sid lives in the letter "B" of a sign and all the other pigeons make fun of him, except Midge, who eventually joins him in the "B" and they make a home together. Until one day, when Sid goes off to forage and Midge is left at home with the eggs and some men come to take the sign away. Luckily the men notice Midge and the nest and so it is saved, but Sid is separated from his mate and children until he is rescued by Mr. Hi Lee, a friendly Chinese man who regularly feeds the pigeons in Union Square Park. He takes Sid to Midge and the eggs hatch, and they live happily ever after. I loved the colored pencil illustrations, as they really made the story. As another reviewer has said, this book is more for grownups that like children's books than the children themselves. This book won a 1958 Caldecott Honor, though I think it should've beaten Robert McCloskey's "Time of Wonder" for the medal. Recommended for ages 4-8, 4 stars.

[Jenny · Rating 4 out of 5]

The pigeons all laugh at Sid and Midge who have built their nest in the B of the Bay Hotel sign. But Sid and Midge are content and happy there...until their sign is removed from the hotel. Midge stayed with the sign and their precious eggs, but as Sid had been searching for food when the sign was removed, he must search high and low for Midge and the eggs and their cozy nest. Will he find them?

This story was rather touching...the love and dedication that both Sid and Midge felt as parents and guardians of their eggs. Sid's determination to find Midge. The message that it didn't matter where their B ended up, as long as they were together.

[Kathleen McKim · Rating 4 out of 5]

I very much enjoyed this book. I love any kids' book that is anthropomorphic. in "Fly High, Fly Low," Sid the Pigeon lives in San Francisco, gets a wife and then loses her. After a lonely and dejected search, he finds a friend to help him. It's a sweet book. Freeman is most famous for "Corduroy," the bear, but I really enjoyed this book. It made me think Freeman might have inspired Mo Willems Pigeon books because Sid the Pigeon has some personality. The illustrations are in the same vein as Robert McCloskey (Blueberries for Sal, Make Way for Ducklings), which leave the reader with a cozy, warm feeling of a by-gone era in children's lit.

[Samantha · Rating 3 out of 5]

Sid the pigeon makes his home in the letter B of a big sign. He soon brings his lady friend Midge there and she lays 2 eggs. Little do they know that they're sign is being torn down. Midge stays with her nest but Sid must search the city high and low to find his Letter B and his beloved. The letter B moves to the top of a bakery and the family of birds live happily ever after. Beautiful illustrations that gives readers a bird's eye view of a lovely city (San Francisco). Artowrk looks like colored pencils or pastels.

[Jen]

(1957) Two birds, a pigeon Sid and a dove Midge, live happily in San Fransisco. They have one of the best views in town. They have constructed their home--and Midge has laid her eggs--in the lower loop of a letter B in a neon sign. One morning, as Sid goes out to find breakfast for his companion, the sign is torn down and Sid frantically flies around the city looking for Midge. In the end, Sid finds Midge safe and sound, and that their letter home has been relocated to a bakery. A charming and beautifully illustrated story.

[Katie Fitzgerald · Rating 4 out of 5]

I didn’t even know of this book until I realized it was on the Caldecott list and that my library owns a copy. I love the bright colors and the pencil shading Freeman uses in the illustrations and the interesting story about birds and their home in a sign was interesting and is just the kind of thing that appeals to kids. I love the image of the Golden Gate Bridge on pages 32 and 33, as well as the blurred images meant to suggest fog. A great city story.

[Paul · Rating 3 out of 5]

Freeman's heart-warming story about two pigeons in San Francisco provides drawings (almost sketches) from a variety of perspectives - helpful when when telling a pigeon's story. There are unexpected twists and turns in the story that keep it interesting, and characters - mostly Mr. Hi Lee - who provide human interaction, both for good and bad. Altogether, it's easy to feel that you are there in each frame along the way.

[Lorna · Rating 3 out of 5]

1958 Caldecott Honor

Favorite line: Suddenly, like a bolt out of the blue, Midge felt their perch give a terrible lurch!

Favorite illustration: The letter B where the birds make their nest

Thoughts: I rather liked this cute story about two pigeons finding their own unique home, and what happens when that cozy space is disrupted.

[Dolly · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a sweet story about a pigeon's life in San Francisco. The illustrations are gorgeous, with nice details that really help to capture San Francisco in the 1950s. And the narrative is entertaining, although it might be a bit long for younger children. We really enjoyed reading this book together.

[Emkoshka · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is both a love story to birds and beautiful San Francisco. A very sweet and vivid story, as the best books of this classic children's book era (1940s-50s) were. And I'm convinced that Don Freeman was a progressive, for in this book he depicts an Asian man, another figure rendered invisible by what was then a monocultural society.

[Kristi · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a picture book by Don Freeman. The story is about two pigeons, Sid and Midge, and how the two lovers get separated. Throughout the story Sid flies high and low to find Midge who is protecting their eggs. I would use this book to talk about animals and the differences between them. For example, ones who fly or ones who lay eggs.

[Maria Rowe · Rating 4 out of 5]

• 1958 Caldecott Honor Book •

Beautiful illustrations, and lovely story. Sid is a pigeon in San Fransisco who lives atop a building in a huge letter B that’s part of an electric sign. All the other pigeons make fun of him, except Midge… The story is fun to read, and I really liked the ending! This is a good one!

Materials used: unlisted
Typeface used: unlisted

[Chandler Kleinhesselink · Rating 4 out of 5]

The illustrations were amazing, and Don Freeman's use of colored pencil blew me away, but the storyline seemed long at some points. However, through his word choice, I felt like I could feel the emotions of the birds well.

[Robert Davis · Rating 4 out of 5]

**** Caldecott Honor (1958) ****

[Yusuf Sahin · Rating 1 out of 5]

I did not like this book so much because it wasn't real and it never gave a moral(to me).

[Nate B · Rating 5 out of 5]

Such a Sweet story with wonderful illustrations. We could really relate to this story as we see pigeons flying all over and trying to make it in this world.

[Seema Rao · Rating 4 out of 5]

A noble pigeon in San Francisco finds love, loses love, and finds her again. Lovely colored pencil illustrations.

[Susan · Rating 5 out of 5]

I used to read this heartwarming story to my sons when they were little, and we all enjoyed it back in the day. This Easter weekend I gave a copy to my 3.5 year old grandson. We live on the east coast but he knows about San Francisco and the Golden Gate Bridge from watching a Truck Tunes song video called Road Zipper, which had led to us talking about the city of SF a month or so ago. I had pointed it out to him on a map, and we looked online at photos of the bridge being painted. Fly High Fly Low was written long before the Road Zipper came into being, but Grandson was mesmerized by the story and illustrations of the pigeons Sid and Midge flying around SF and the Golden Gate, and building their nest in the big letter B of the sign. He was worried when the workers removed the sign, but I reassured him that the story had a happy ending, and we read on. It’s a lovely book, and my grandson liked it. I grew up in California in the 60s and early 70s, and spent a lot of time in SF, so the book evokes fond memories for me. It is a little bit longer than the average bedtime story for preschoolers, but good for an enjoyable reading time snuggled up on the couch when there’s no rush to go anywhere or get to bed in a hurry. I would recommend it for older preschoolers through 4th grade. Winner of the 1958 Caldecott Award.

[Rose Rosetree · Rating 5 out of 5]

Such an original saga -- it stars pigeons Sid and Midge, bird lover Hi Lee, and the entire city of San Franscisco. The city isn't mere background; it feels lived in by author Don Freeman; as a reader I feel strongly welcomed into this place.

And I can't say which I find more welcoming, the highly effective (and un-show-off-ey) writing or those so-sophisticated and skilful illustrations -- both by Mr. Freeman. Here's a sample of the highly creative picture book writing:

Sid, the pigeon, would swoop and fly through the open arches [in the Golden Gate Bridge] just to show Midge what a good looper he was.

All of the story takes place from the point of the pigeons' point of view. Reminds me a bit of a favorite adult book, "Flush" by Virginia Woolf; this is told from the perspective of Elizabeth Barrett Browning's cocker spaniel.

CAREFULLY MODULATED, KID-FRIEND SUSPENSE FOLLOWS

Such a suspenseful plot ensues, starting with such an unexpected problem. Not that I plan to spoil a thing. I'll just say this: *W*O*N*D*E*R*F*U*L*.