Woodrow's Wings

by Mary Carlsson

"Wings, wings, wings. How do you draw a pair of wings?"That is only the beginning of the adventure that lies ahead of Woodrow. It's a day full of fun for young bears in Grizzly Bottom, but not for Woodrow Crockett. He wants to build a pair of wings, and his sister and two lively cousins can't talk him out of it no matter how hard they try.Crafted for young builders at playtime, or bedtime, Woodrow's Wings has an easy-to-read text with large, richly detailed illustrations and a clock that tracks Woodrow's busy day from waking up to sleep.It's an old-fashioned story about patience, invention and friendship. The sky is the limit for a bear who won't give up. (And won't they all be surprised.)

28 pages, Kindle Edition

Published June 30, 2018

Reviews

[Grady · Rating 5 out of 5]

‘The little things need the most attention’

Texas author Mary Carlsson is a photographer and painter and her art has been exhibited throughout America. WOODROW’S WINGS is her debut children’s book. Not only is her writing charming, her artwork illustrations are excellent!

Woodrow Crockett is a young bear who lives in Grizzly Bottom with his family. One morning, on arising from bed, Woodrow has an idea when he sees a feather floating in the air outside his bedroom window. ‘I’m going to build a pair of wings’ he announces at the breakfast table. Knowing the family is to attend the Grizzly Bottom Fair, Woodrow must complete his mission by noon, and advises his cousins of his plan. Working in the barn, he wonders how to draw his wings, and Mouse and Duck advise him. Despite his cousins’ invitations to go elsewhere, Woodrow (with the aid of Mouse and Duck) plans, draws, cuts, and paints his new wings, attaching his backpack as a harness. At noon the family and cousins are ready to go to the fair and whoosh! Woodrow, with his new wings in place, is swept up by the wind – and he flies all the way to the fair! ‘Some fun is easy, but great fun takes time’ adds Mouse. All in a day’s happiness at Grizzly Bottom!

Embedded in the delightful story are the virtues of patience, invention, family, and friendship, delivered with splendid élan. Very highly recommended on all levels – and as a very special gift for youngsters for the holidays.

[Pegboard · Rating 5 out of 5]

Mary Carlsson will entertain young children and parents alike with her book, Woodrow's Wings. Woodrow Crockett is a young bear who wakes up one morning and has a big plan. His plan is to build a set of wings to fly. While he is executing his plan, his cousins come. Torn between having fun with his cousins and building his wings, Woodrow decides to continue building his wings. With the help of mouse and duck, Woodrow is done just in time to go to the fair, when an unexpected event happens.

I was impressed with Woodrow's Wings for several reasons. Mary Carlsson is not only a creative writer, but the illustrations in this children's book is extraordinary. The author gives precision to details; steam from a kettle, chick tracks in the paint, and leaves blowing in the wind. The author story pictures a happy family of bears that enjoy doing things together. This was a fun book to read and I would recommend reading it to young children.

[Jo Bass · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a beautifully illustrated picture book, with a sweet, easily understood story. It is great for reading aloud, but has a few words in it that would make it difficult for early readers. When Woodrow wakes up one morning, a feather is blown into his room. Even though his cousins have come to go with the family to the fair, Woodrow and his friends Duck and Mouse work on his wings all morning. When the family is ready to leave a gust of wind creates a big surprise. One of the charming things about the book is the refrain pages that say, “The cousins sure knew how to have fun.” Another is the book closes the same way it opened. The whole story is charming, but not too sweet. The illustrations are magnificently detailed, and the story is one that any young engineer will be able to relate to. If you are looking for a good gift for a preschooler who loves it when people read aloud, this would be perfect.

[Quirru · Rating 5 out of 5]

Woodrow’s Wings by Mary Carlsson this is a cute and tender book for kids between 2 to 7 years, it is the story of a young bear that one morning wakes up with the dream of building a pair of wings, he is decided to do it and no matter what others say, he is determined to achieve it. He goes to the barn with duck and mouse that now are his helpers and helps him to design, cut, put together and make the wings for real and by the time that all the family is heading to the fair Woodrow the little bear is flying in the wind with his wings! It such a cute story about determination, having the will and fighting for your dreams that I think all kids must read this book so they can be infected with all these excellent qualities. The book is built in a marvelous story, the images are beautiful, filled with colors and sense.

Excellent read!

[Jessica · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wings, Wings, Wings, well we loved, loved, loved this book. I read it at bedtime a few night ago, and it has quickly become a favorite book to read even during the day. My 1st grader likes Woodrow because he is so focused on building his pair of wings that will allow him to fly. She was quick to point out how he misses out on playing with his cousins since he is so focused. I think this story is sweet and endearing and is a playful way of showing kids how practicing and sticking with something can pay off when it goes right in the end.
Woodrow wants to fly, and he is determined to build himself a pair of wings. So determined in fact, that he misses out on games and races with his cousins that are over for the day. He ends up building the wings, and figures out how to attach them to himself, but will he fly? And if he does, has he figured out how to land?

[Ashley · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is a real treat for children and adults alike. Not only is it a really cute story about precocious little Woodrow, but it also teaches a little bit about engineering, imagination, and perseverance. The pictures really steal the scene though. They are vivid and remind me of a certain series about bears that was popular when I was a kid too. This can make it a little reminiscent for parents. The story is also about family, which is pretty cool too. I really loved that he kept at it and accomplished his goal. He even got a little surprise at the end. Check this out with your little ones and let them look at the pretty pictures. You can ask them what they want to accomplish or what they would build. It can be a great way to start a conversation and get their brains thinking and having fun.

[Karyn H · Rating 5 out of 5]

Creativity is the Drive for Woodrow. Quiet.... the Inventor is at Work!

Creativity is the Drive for Woodrow. Quiet the Inventor is at Work!
The author…..presented the essence of future engineers in this piece. This piece is short and focuses on a child creating his master piece without interruptions. Adamant to complete his invention, with his protegees mouse and duck, Woodrow got down to work immediately. Woodrow directed all his attention to his invention. He focused on his goal! The story is a children's read, it’s short and lacks connectivity. Howbeit the focus of the story was well executed. Grammatically, some editing should have been done.. I read this book to my special needs class; they were blown away by the big red wings.
I'd love to read it to them again, (although I added and substitute words for the story to be executed well).

[Rebecca]

So cute!

I love this book! I read it to my kids and they made me read it three more times in a row too. Woodrow is so cute and I love the illustrations. The detail is great and I had such a good time looking at the objects along with the kids. The idea of the book, a bear wanting to build wings to fly, is so adorable and a feel-good story. I think it’s a happy book that will leave kids content and feeling satisfied with the ending. Can’t get enough, we want more Woodrow stories for sure!

[Jimmy Jefferson · Rating 5 out of 5]

A fun book to read with children

I found Woodrow’s Wings to be a well written and illustrated story about a bear who sees a feather flying and decides to make wings so he can fly also. The story is fun and my grand daughter loved the characters. I frequently read stories with my grand children and this was one of the favorites so far. A fun story that is enjoyable and characters that are creative and inspiring. There are some good lessons to share with your children in this one. Grab you a copy and share. This is a great time.

[Archie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great book for kids!
Are you determined to execute your big plans amidst of disturbances? That’s the message for all kids that writer has given with the book. The book is based on the dream of bear to build wings and no one could talk him out of it. With a little help from his trusted helpers he was able to make wings just in time. The beauty of the story is its simplicity, graphics and message of trust, friendship and determination. The kids will surely love the bear and could learn to make wings too.

[Amy Koller · Rating 5 out of 5]

“Woodrow’s Wings” has quickly and easily become a fan favorite in our household! My son absolutely the main little character, Woodrow Crockett, and was so enthralled with this book that I have read it to him several times, and he has read it himself more times than I can count! It can be hard to get little ones to actively engage in a reading/listening session now-a-days, but “Woodrow’s Wings” is a story that truly captures the imagination of your child and keeps them interested with each and every turn of the page! Great writing and a wonderfully fun story!

[Paula · Rating 5 out of 5]

Woodrow’s Wings by Mary Carlsson is a fun book to read to preschool children and read with early readers. The young ones enjoyed this book and to them, the story is about being able to ‘focus on a goal’ and to ‘have good imagination’. I even had a first grader comment about how nice Woodrow’s parents are to let him build the wings. It’s really easy to become fond of this book and it helps that the illustrations remind me of the books I owned as a child. It is an endearing story that is meant to entertain and inspire.

[Stacy · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a cute book! My 10 year old is a bit old for it, but he loves to build, and I caught him listening while I read it to his sister-7- and baby brother-1.5. I'm pretty sure he liked it too. I know my younger kids loved it. It's very cute and teaches patience and hard work. I especially recommend if you have yourself a little builder. My kids all love to build things so I'm sure they related to the story more personally. They've been asking for this as their bedtime book all week!

[Corrie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Woodrow’s Wings is an adorable tale of a bear who wants to fly and will do whatever it takes to make it happen. I love the classic storytelling and illustrations, and the messages of perseverance, problem solving, friendship, and believing in yourself. My 7 year old loved this book, I just wish that I would have had it in our rotation when he was younger! I would definitely recommend this book!

[Kimmie · Rating 5 out of 5]

My nephew adored this book. So did I. A cute little story about a bear who wants to fly. The illustrations are absolutely wonderful. They have quite a lot of detail and they're so cute. I recommend this book for any young child maybe even an adult or two those of us who are still kids at heart. I'm off to see if I can find more books my Mary Carlson is little boo would say Zoom