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Taking Flight
**1st Place Winner of the 2019 Purple Dragonfly Award for green/environmental books.**"Taking Flight makes learning fun; it conveys important biological concepts by relating them to personal experiences. It’s brilliant!” —Joni Ellis, founder and director, Optics for the TropicsWill Izzy make friends in her new school? Izzy’s family is moving to a big city at the end of the summer, and she is filled with dread. She’ll start fifth grade at a new school where she doesn’t know anyone. Meanwhile, a bird she names Señor Wilson also faces a big move. He’ll soon migrate south for the winter—a journey full of peril. As Izzy’s adventure unfolds in parallel with Señor Wilson’s, it seems Izzy’s worst fears may come true. It’s only by finding her inner courage—with a little help from her friends in the Nature Club—that Izzy can find her wings and truly take off.
138 pages, Kindle Edition
Published February 6, 2019
12 people are currently reading
20 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews
May 31, 2019
For the past few months the kids and I have been devouring this wonderful new series by Rachel Mazur. One of my favorite things about the series is that it goes hand in hand with my belief that kids can, and will, learn so much on their own: both from their own experiences, as well as through their innate curiosity about the world around them. I prefer natural learning experiences over typical book work any day and learning about nature through the context of an interesting story is simply brilliant!
My kids have followed along with the hands-on wildlife experiences of Izzy, Tai, Brooke, Zach and Miguel and have been able to learn so much through the character’s adventures. Each book is full of factual information of animals (birds, monarchs, bears, raccoons, frogs and bobcats). Readers will learn the migration pattern of the Wilson’s wabler, the importance of the milkweed plant to monarch butterflies, how to identify bear and raccoon tracks, and so much more! Our family even learned a few new Spanish words as Izzy and her pen-pal Miguel, from Nicaragua, wrote to one another.
I appreciate that the author created characters from diverse backgrounds, each with their own personal struggles making the book relatable to a wide variety of readers. For example, Izzy faces the challenge and fear of moving to a new city. She has to find the courage to “spread her wings” and leave the comfort of her home, just as the bird in the story must leave its nest and migrate. The books encourage kids to take charge of their own lives by making positive changes in themselves, while also learning to appreciate and care for wildlife and their environment.
Each of the books also offers the chance for extended learning. After reading book two, Racing With Butterflies, we took a trip to a local farm where we were able to visit with horses first hand, and we continued learning about butterflies by visiting a butterfly house and checking out additional resource books at the library.
Towards the end of each book you will find additional wildlife facts and ways to protect the animal, or animals that were discussed in the book. This extra bit was an exciting bonus! You will also find a “Questions to Consider” page and a reading preview to the next book in the series. The Nature Club series was well enjoyed by both myself and my kids. I encourage each of you to give the books a try. I think your family will love them too!
My kids have followed along with the hands-on wildlife experiences of Izzy, Tai, Brooke, Zach and Miguel and have been able to learn so much through the character’s adventures. Each book is full of factual information of animals (birds, monarchs, bears, raccoons, frogs and bobcats). Readers will learn the migration pattern of the Wilson’s wabler, the importance of the milkweed plant to monarch butterflies, how to identify bear and raccoon tracks, and so much more! Our family even learned a few new Spanish words as Izzy and her pen-pal Miguel, from Nicaragua, wrote to one another.
I appreciate that the author created characters from diverse backgrounds, each with their own personal struggles making the book relatable to a wide variety of readers. For example, Izzy faces the challenge and fear of moving to a new city. She has to find the courage to “spread her wings” and leave the comfort of her home, just as the bird in the story must leave its nest and migrate. The books encourage kids to take charge of their own lives by making positive changes in themselves, while also learning to appreciate and care for wildlife and their environment.
Each of the books also offers the chance for extended learning. After reading book two, Racing With Butterflies, we took a trip to a local farm where we were able to visit with horses first hand, and we continued learning about butterflies by visiting a butterfly house and checking out additional resource books at the library.
Towards the end of each book you will find additional wildlife facts and ways to protect the animal, or animals that were discussed in the book. This extra bit was an exciting bonus! You will also find a “Questions to Consider” page and a reading preview to the next book in the series. The Nature Club series was well enjoyed by both myself and my kids. I encourage each of you to give the books a try. I think your family will love them too!
August 31, 2020
My 1st-grader and I LOVED this book! The author is very true to biological facts, the plot keeps you interested, and you really care about the characters. As someone who's studied and banded birds, I loved being able to share that with my daughter through a fun work of fiction.
December 30, 2020
Read aloud to my daughters (1st & 2nd grades) on the recommendation of my sister and her kids. We bought the rest of the books in the series before we were done with book 1.
We enjoyed the story telling and getting to see the story from the featured animal's perspective as well as the human characters'. I also liked that the book taught about how birds are studied, their migration, etc but it didn't feel like a lesson. My girls had so many questions about birds afterwards.
We enjoyed the story telling and getting to see the story from the featured animal's perspective as well as the human characters'. I also liked that the book taught about how birds are studied, their migration, etc but it didn't feel like a lesson. My girls had so many questions about birds afterwards.
February 2, 2021
Cute book that teaches you about nature. There is no drama so it would be a safe read for sensitive kids.
not-in-pima-okc-wi-but-want
September 29, 2021not in evergreen either
Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews