Courage to Fly

by Troon Harrison, Zhong-Yang Huang (Illustrations)

After moving from the Caribbean to a large city, Meg feels scared to leave the safety of her room, but the wisdom of an old Chinese man combined with an injured bird may help her conquer her fears.

32 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2002

About the author

Troon Harrison is an internationally published, award winning author, an editor, and a qualified teacher. Troon writes picture books, teen-adult cross-over novels, and junior chapter books. She has 24 books published in a range of genres including historical fiction, science fiction, fantasy, and contemporary fiction.

Reviews

[Lynn Davidson · Rating 4 out of 5]

A little girl named Meg moved with her family from the islands to a city across the sea. She was frightened, sad, and alone, and felt safest in her bedroom after school. One day, after a sudden early snowstorm, she found a swallow on the ground, so she took it home to help it recover. From a wise neighbour she learned how to have courage, just as the swallow had to have courage to fly again.
Gorgeous illustrations for this beautiful story.

[Kazia · Rating 3 out of 5]

Beautiful illustrations

[Terrie Andrews · Rating 4 out of 5]

Description: This book addresses how one little Swallow and an older Asian man, help a little immigrant girl find her way out of her shell. The story is endearing and addresses feelings that children may find hard to express.
Implementation ideas: K-5th grade; when talking about respect, new students, and building a positive classroom culture.

[Matthew · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is good for metaphor and simile and the writing is truly outstanding throughout. If that isn't enough, the story is good too. And the illustrations are beautiful. This is a great book.