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Flap Your Wings
When a strange egg appears in their nest, Mr. and Mrs. Bird kindly take it upon themselves to raise the "baby bird" inside. But when the egg hatches, the Birds are in for a big surprise--"Junior" is the oddest-looking baby bird they've ever seen--with big, long jaws full of teeth and an appetite to match. In fact, he looks more like a baby alligator than a baby bird! Nevertheless, the devoted Birds run themselves ragged feeding Junior until he gets so big, he must leave the nest or it will collapse underneath him. But how can Junior fly without wings ? To the delight of the Birds--and readers!--the dilemma is solved when Junior takes off from a branch overlooking a pond.
48 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 1969
71 people are currently reading
1276 people want to read
About the author
P.D. Eastman
69 books792 followersPhilip Dey "Phil" Eastman was an American screenwriter, children's author, and illustrator. As an author, he is known primarily as P. D. Eastman. A protégé of Theodor Geisel (Dr. Seuss), Eastman wrote many books for children, in his own distinct style under the Dr. Seuss brand of Random House, many of which were in the Beginner Books series.
From 1936 to 1941, Eastman worked at the story department of Walt Disney Productions. From 1941 to 1943 he worked at the story department of Warner Bros. Cartoons. From 1945 to 1952 he worked in the story department of United Productions of America. He contributed to the "Private Snafu" World War II training films, wrote for the animation Mr. Magoo, and the Gerald McBoing-Boing series for UPA.
From 1936 to 1941, Eastman worked at the story department of Walt Disney Productions. From 1941 to 1943 he worked at the story department of Warner Bros. Cartoons. From 1945 to 1952 he worked in the story department of United Productions of America. He contributed to the "Private Snafu" World War II training films, wrote for the animation Mr. Magoo, and the Gerald McBoing-Boing series for UPA.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 104 reviews
August 13, 2019
This is a funny classic I had never read. It’s too bad as it’s delightful.
A boy finds an egg on the ground and no one claims the egg, so he puts it in an empty nest. The egg is huge for the birds, but out of duty, the birds sit on the giant egg. It hatches to reveal it was an alligator egg. They feed the little guy and it grows to big for the nest. They try and teach it to fly and you can imagine. What a concept!
The nephew laughed at this book. He said the alligator would eat the birds. I agreed as they are vicious little buggers. He loved the alligator trying to fly. He gave this 5 stars. The niece thought this was a funny book. She enjoyed the silliness of the story. She gave this story 4 stars.
You know, I can’t believe P. D. Eastman has never been nominated for a Caldecott. I have seen enough to know that his artwork is better than some of the honor work they have handed out. I see no sense in it, accept maybe he was popular.
A boy finds an egg on the ground and no one claims the egg, so he puts it in an empty nest. The egg is huge for the birds, but out of duty, the birds sit on the giant egg. It hatches to reveal it was an alligator egg. They feed the little guy and it grows to big for the nest. They try and teach it to fly and you can imagine. What a concept!
The nephew laughed at this book. He said the alligator would eat the birds. I agreed as they are vicious little buggers. He loved the alligator trying to fly. He gave this 5 stars. The niece thought this was a funny book. She enjoyed the silliness of the story. She gave this story 4 stars.
You know, I can’t believe P. D. Eastman has never been nominated for a Caldecott. I have seen enough to know that his artwork is better than some of the honor work they have handed out. I see no sense in it, accept maybe he was popular.
April 3, 2017
Read to me by my wife while we were enjoying a lake view.
We were watching the birds fly. Some of them were plunging into the water for their food and my wife decided to read this poem, asking me to flap my wings. :)
Interested in reviving the memories of childhood? Then it is a must read.
We were watching the birds fly. Some of them were plunging into the water for their food and my wife decided to read this poem, asking me to flap my wings. :)
Interested in reviving the memories of childhood? Then it is a must read.
February 12, 2018
An egg appears on the pathway and someone places it in an empty nest. When Mr. and Mrs. Bird return, they are baffled to see the egg, but take it upon themselves to take care of their new little one. They sit on the egg and keep it warm, day and night. When the shell cracks and ‘Junior’ emerges, he surely does not look like a bird. However, Mr. and Mrs. Bird will not forget the promise they made and take to feeding their little one, day and night. As Junior grows, he is soon unable to remain in the nest. The Bird parents decide to teach their ‘offspring’ to fly. It’s only then that Junior, without wings, splashes into the water, where he belonged all along. Neo laughed at this, as the Bird parents seemed clueless about who and what Junior might be. He thought the story was cute and would read another.
March 25, 2025
“Flap Your Wings” by P.D. Eastman is a classic book that is really sweet. It’s beautifully illustrated and written perfectly for young children.
June 8, 2024
A pair of clueless but devoted birds decide they must hatch the egg that turns up one day in their nest and care for the creature that emerges . . . no matter if it looks like a bird or not.
Silly fun.
Silly fun.
August 30, 2023
6 year old read aloud to me - he loved it!
January 31, 2022
As a former nonstandard sort of child who is now a (nonstandard) parent myself, I am deeply fond of this book and Mr. Bird's insistence that whatever kind of kid you have, you parent them with love to the absolute best of your ability, and accept & value whatever kind of person they become -- even if it's nothing like what you expect. Kiddo loves it too, especially where Mr. and Mrs. Bird list how many different kind of bugs they feed their hungry, hungry baby.
May 13, 2018
I like this book because it tells a story about a egg that is hatched to the wrong family but they treated him as if he were their own. In this story the little boy finds an egg on the ground and he know that it doesn’t belongs there, so he placed it in the bird nest like a responsible person. I think young children would like this book as well especially when the little boy finds the egg. While reading this book to children I would emphasize the importance of responsibility when the two birds made sure that the baby alligator ate.
September 29, 2010
Unbeknownst to them, a nesting pair of birds hatch an alligator, work their tails off to feed it and then try to teach their baby "bird" to fly. In the end, Jr. falls in a pond while trying to flap his "wings" and the mama bird says "Oh well, maybe he was meant for the pond--he seems comfortable there." I smile to think that maybe our best parenting efforts to teach our children different kinds of flight (piano, for example) may come to this same end one day ;).
June 1, 2011
Another great story by Eastman. The birds find a strange egg in the nest, decide to hatch it out, and (you guessed it) the find themselves raising an alligator. Knowing that something non-bird would hatch made it fun for both my preschooler and me. It was fun to watch the birds valiantly sitting on the egg. And we laughed ourselves silly with the problems that come from raising an alligator in a tree. I'm going to need to get us a copy of the book.
February 4, 2017
Oh my goodness! Mr. and Mrs. Bird arrive to their nest to find a rather large egg in it. However, the egg does not belong to them, but Mr. Bird is determined to treat it like their own. Such a cute story that could be interpreted as "family is family not matter what you look like or where you came from" and unconditional love.
January 19, 2020
We laughed the whole way through this book! What a fun beginner reader!
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March 26, 2024I went way back to the good days. When I worried for nothing.
March 19, 2022
Hilarious! This one brought lots of giggles for read aloud.
August 12, 2019
Great read
Good funny read! My four year old loved the illustrations as well! Loved the that the alligator tried to fly!
Good funny read! My four year old loved the illustrations as well! Loved the that the alligator tried to fly!
February 27, 2016
Originally posted on You Have Your Hands Full
Flap Your Wings was written by P.D. Eastman and was originally published in 1969, but I think our Best Book Club Ever edition was published in 1979. Our particular copy has my husband’s name in it. Most of our Best Book Club Ever books used to be his, but very few have his name in them.
Flap Your Wings is the story of Mr. and Mrs. Bird, who return to their nest to find a strange egg in it. When the egg hatches, they are surprised to find a strange creature in it (a baby alligator). They are not sure that their baby is a bird, but it is in their nest, so they feed Junior everything from berries to centipedes. Junior’s appetite never diminishes, and he grows very quickly. Junior is too big for his nest, and it is time for him to flap his wings and fly. But will an alligator be able to fly like a bird?
P.D. Eastman also wrote Are You My Mother? and Go Dog Go, among other classic children’s stories. He has a fairly recognizable style. The illustrations make good use of color, and they’re fun- Mrs. Bird has an adorable kerchief, and Mr. Bird has some hilarious facial expressions. For most of the book, Junior barely fits in the nest, but doesn’t seem to be bothered about this at all.
My girls loved this book. They knew right away that the egg contained an alligator, and they loved watching Junior eat all of those delicacies that Mr. and Mrs. Bird brought for him to eat. They were not surprised by the ending, and they said that this was a nice story. As a parent, I think this book has some lovely messages; the Birds took care of Junior even though they knew he wasn’t a bird; he was their baby, and they loved him regardless of what he looked like. Children’s literature can be a little too snarky (albeit realistic), so it’s nice that Junior didn’t eat his adoptive parents.
I would recommend Flap Your Wings. Unlike most of the Best Book Club Ever books, this one is actually still in print, so you shouldn’t have any trouble finding a copy. This book will appeal to preschoolers and children in the early years of elementary school.
Flap Your Wings was written by P.D. Eastman and was originally published in 1969, but I think our Best Book Club Ever edition was published in 1979. Our particular copy has my husband’s name in it. Most of our Best Book Club Ever books used to be his, but very few have his name in them.
Flap Your Wings is the story of Mr. and Mrs. Bird, who return to their nest to find a strange egg in it. When the egg hatches, they are surprised to find a strange creature in it (a baby alligator). They are not sure that their baby is a bird, but it is in their nest, so they feed Junior everything from berries to centipedes. Junior’s appetite never diminishes, and he grows very quickly. Junior is too big for his nest, and it is time for him to flap his wings and fly. But will an alligator be able to fly like a bird?
P.D. Eastman also wrote Are You My Mother? and Go Dog Go, among other classic children’s stories. He has a fairly recognizable style. The illustrations make good use of color, and they’re fun- Mrs. Bird has an adorable kerchief, and Mr. Bird has some hilarious facial expressions. For most of the book, Junior barely fits in the nest, but doesn’t seem to be bothered about this at all.
My girls loved this book. They knew right away that the egg contained an alligator, and they loved watching Junior eat all of those delicacies that Mr. and Mrs. Bird brought for him to eat. They were not surprised by the ending, and they said that this was a nice story. As a parent, I think this book has some lovely messages; the Birds took care of Junior even though they knew he wasn’t a bird; he was their baby, and they loved him regardless of what he looked like. Children’s literature can be a little too snarky (albeit realistic), so it’s nice that Junior didn’t eat his adoptive parents.
I would recommend Flap Your Wings. Unlike most of the Best Book Club Ever books, this one is actually still in print, so you shouldn’t have any trouble finding a copy. This book will appeal to preschoolers and children in the early years of elementary school.
December 9, 2014
This book is about two birds that find an egg in their nest. The egg eventually hatches, out pops an alligator. Paying no mind to what type of animal it was, the two birds raised the alligator like a bird. The alligator grew and grew until the birds decided it was time for him to fly. The alligator leaped out the nest and splashed in the water. The birds saw how happy the alligator was in the water and let him stay. This book teaches a good lesson on accepting people and things of all types. When in school children are going to meet all types of people that may seem different to them, but it is important that these children treat each other equally and fairly and I think that this book is s a great introduction to that concept. I also think that every child should read this and every teacher should have this book in their classrooms.
Eastman, P. D. (2000). Flap your wings. New York: Beginner Books.
Eastman, P. D. (2000). Flap your wings. New York: Beginner Books.
May 11, 2017
My mom had this book in her collection from when she taught preschool and kindergarten. My daughter is 2.5 now and my mom has been anxious to start teaching her things from her units. She is teaching her about birds right now.
This is a cute book about a boy who finds a random egg on the ground. He saw a nest in the tree without an egg so he put it up there. The two birds who own the nest adopted the egg even tho it wasn't their's. When the egg hatches, it's clearly an alligator but the birds continue to care for it even though they don't think it's a bird. Eventually he gets so big that they need him to leave the nest and they try to teach him to fly.
The book ends a little abruptly, but I still thought it was a cute story. You assume the alligator finds it's real mommy. This is a good book for beginning readers because the text is pretty short and simple.
This is a cute book about a boy who finds a random egg on the ground. He saw a nest in the tree without an egg so he put it up there. The two birds who own the nest adopted the egg even tho it wasn't their's. When the egg hatches, it's clearly an alligator but the birds continue to care for it even though they don't think it's a bird. Eventually he gets so big that they need him to leave the nest and they try to teach him to fly.
The book ends a little abruptly, but I still thought it was a cute story. You assume the alligator finds it's real mommy. This is a good book for beginning readers because the text is pretty short and simple.
March 3, 2017
Oh my this book had both my 3 year old and me chortling! Such a silly book! Mr and Mrs Bird find a large egg in their nest and decide to take care of it. Turns out to be an alligator egg! And they feed it and feed it and finally it's too big and they try to teach it how to fly! The pictures are perfect, text is very simple, story is just plain silly! Nice also to teach little kids that things other than birds lay eggs. And it shows what birds eat. Thoroughly enjoyed it!
June 5, 2008
P.D. Eastman is one of our favorite authors for early readers. His books also make wonderful read-alouds.
This is a funny book about a pair of birds who hatch an egg which doesn't contain what they think it does. My kids loved the surprise twist and laughed all the way through it.
It's a neat story about the love a parent can have for a child as well.
This is a funny book about a pair of birds who hatch an egg which doesn't contain what they think it does. My kids loved the surprise twist and laughed all the way through it.
It's a neat story about the love a parent can have for a child as well.
April 13, 2012
Mr. Bird and Mr. Bird come home one day to a rather large egg in their nest. They take care of the egg until it hatches only to find it is the strangest bird they have ever seen! Their baby "Junior" eats and eats and grows and grows. He is crowding the nest so they decide to teach him how to fly. It is only when he leaves the nest that they are able to find out who he really is.
June 12, 2013
An ebook from the Coppell library. I wanted something short so that I could give the process a try. It uses the 3M Cloud Library reader, and I don't like it compared to my kindle. It turns the pages really slow. I'll play with this some more.
Regarding the book, this is a short book that you can quickly read to your kid.
Regarding the book, this is a short book that you can quickly read to your kid.
February 5, 2014
This was such a funny book. My son and I cracked up laughing at Mrs. Bird's expressions. Of course, this book gave us a chance to talk about birds, alligators and other creatures. We talked about similarities and differences, about how to care for a bird versus and an alligator, and more. Great book!
I secured this title from my local library.
I secured this title from my local library.
December 20, 2016
What a funny book about a bird couple hatching and raising a crocodile thinking he was a bird. They had loved him through the egg stage and through him being a baby. But when it comes time to train him to fly...they have a bigger job ahead of them than they can imagine. My adult special needs son enjoyed listening to this book.
July 14, 2009
A cute book about Mr. & Mrs. Bird who find an egg in their nest that does not belong to them. While the end is rather flat, the story in between does bring out the importance of being kind, no matter how different you are from each other.
March 10, 2011
Love this little book. As I read it to grandchildren it's parenting message inspires. Dealing with challenges early in life makes all the difference to teen years. Step 1: he/she is my child so I take care of it.
November 15, 2013
Adorable and funny, this is a great book for kids. There are lessons to be learned here, so you can adjust it for ages (up to a certain point anyway). All the adults in the room enjoyed this book, plus all 21 children so 5 stars!
April 28, 2011
My child loved this book and thought it was hilarious.
August 15, 2013
Once a favorite of mine and now a favorite of my kids
March 23, 2017
So cute!
3/22/17 Read with Naomi & Julia.
3/22/17 Read with Naomi & Julia.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 104 reviews