Wings!

by Paul Stewart, Jane Porter (Illustrator)

The Grand Gathering of the Birds culminates in a flight to the top of the tree and Penguin is left all on his own once again. A hilarious sequence of events unfolds as Penguin tries to teach himself to fly, following the expert advice of his airborne friends. When all attempts to take off fail, a brilliant plan is devised by the other birds, who lift him up in the sky...But not for long! Disaster strikes, Penguin free falls into the water below and there he discovers his true element. An inspiring picture book that celebrates friendship and encourages children to recognize their own unique skills.

Genres: Childrens

32 pages, Hardcover

Published September 13, 2016

About the author

Paul Stewart is a highly regarded author of books for young readers – from picture books to football stories, fantasy and horror. Together with Chris Riddell he is co-creator of the bestselling Edge Chronicles, which has sold more than three million copies and is available in over twenty languages. They have also collaborated together on lots of other exciting books for children of all ages. The Far-Flung Adventure series includes the Gold Smarties Prize Winner Fergus Crane, and Corby Flood and Hugo Pepper, both Silver Nestle Prize Winners. Then there are the Barnaby Grimes books, two Muddle Earth adventures, and the sci-fi Scavenger and fantasy Wyrmeweald trilogies. For younger readers there is the Blobheads series, while for the very young, Paul has written several picture books, including the Rabbit and Hedgehog series, In the Dark of the Night and, his latest, Wings.

Other authors by this name disambiguation Note:
Paul Stewart - business and management books

Reviews

[Emma · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book would be good to read with FS or KS1 children and has lovely bright illustrations to accompany the story. It’s about a penguin who longs to fly, and all his friends try to teach him or cheer him up. Eventually they tie him with string and carry him as though he’s flying until he’s dropped in the sea where he realises that he can fly through swimming and he’s then happy. It can teach to look out for and help friends, but also that people can be good at different things.

[Rachel · Rating 3 out of 5]

PreS-K – All the birds have come together for a gathering, but when they decide to fly off as part of the fun, one bird gets left behind. Saddened, Penguin resolves that it’s high time that he learns to fly. So ensues some silly attempts to get this flightless bird to lift off, yet try as he might, even with the help of his friends, he is less than successful. Despite the delightful premise, it is difficult to connect with Penguin, partially because his dream of flying was not expressed at the very beginning, but also because the story moves at such a brisk pace that it never really gives us time to absorb what is happening, or reflect on what it means. Most every page is filled to the brim with text, illustrations, or both, and the pacing would have benefited from a bit less. The art is made of some fine-looking cut and coloured paper, yet even among all its bright colours, Penguin always stands out thanks to the thick black ink that outlines his design. Following his trials, Penguin’s realization that he can fly – just in a different way from other birds – makes for a satisfying and insightful conclusion. VERDICT The colourful paper-cut art elevates this tale of a Penguin’s attempts at flight to an enjoyable read despite some pacing issues.

*reviewed for School Library Journal

[Katie St.Clair · Rating 4 out of 5]

‘Wings!’ is aimed at an age range of 3-6 meaning it would be perfect in an EYFS or a year 1 class room. It is a funny and different book that has very engaging language which enabled dynamic storytelling. The writing alongside with the detailed illustrations will really capture children’s imaginations. The story follows a penguin who wishes he could fly like the rest of his friends. Despite all his efforts he still couldn’t do it so he turns to his friends for help, who in turn try to make him feel better by making jokes, talking about how walking is much better and eventually trying to teach him. As none of these solutions work they come up with an idea to attach him to string which they would carry whilst they flew. This works for a little while before the string breaks and he falls into the water below, however, when the penguin falls into the water he finds that he can swim which makes him feel like he is flying underwater! Leading to a happy conclusion that teaches the importance of friendships and how even though everyone is different we have our own special talents.

[Iman Yasmin · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is a lovely way to show children about the importance of not giving up. The ending of the book highlights that sometimes you learn new things about yourself once you make mistakes and try again, which is lovely message I would use in my classroom as well as day to day life.
I would use this in a classroom of KS1 Children perhaps at the start of the year to settle nerves of first beginning a new year or at the start of a new challenging topic in a subject, I would display in my classroom a quote from the book to remind my students of how in order to learn it is essential for you to learn.
A must read in any aged classroom.

[Haniva Zahra · Rating 4 out of 5]

Saya lupa buku ini adalah pilihan saya atau Ayah K, tetapi saya pikir pesan moral yang disampaikan buku ini juga menarik, yaitu: setiap orang/hal memiliki kekuatan dan kelemahannya masing-masing. Pada dasarnya, sangat manusiawi apabila kita merasa iri atas kekuatan/kemampuan orang lain, tetapi jangan lupa bahwa kita pun punya sesuatu yang unik. Buku ini sangat menarik untuk mengajarkan K untuk menghargai dan menyayangi dirinya sendiri, tetapi juga bisa melihat hal-hal yang baik dari orang lain.

[Meg · Rating 4 out of 5]

A good book for demonstrating that just because something comes easily to some people, others may struggle or indeed never manage. That everybody has something they are good at, they just need to find it.
A lovely book of perseverance and friendship.

[melusine7]

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