I Would Teach You to Fly

by Sarah Asper-Smith, Mitchell Watley (Illustrator)

From the author and illustrator of the popular I Would Tuck You In, this endearing picture book introduces young children to the characteristics of a variety of animals, showing parents and their babies interacting in their natural habitats.

Explore the many ways that animals teach their young to thrive in this charming picture book.

A bald eagle teaches an eaglet to fly. A black bear teaches its cub how to pluck berries from a branch. An ermine teaches its baby how to tunnel through the snow. And a spotted seal teaches its pup how to dive. Young children will learn all about these animals and more, as each spread also includes a short piece of nonfiction about each creature.

Lovingly illustrated and lyrically written, this is the third children's book written and illustrated by the husband-and-wife artist and author team Mitchell Watley and Sarah Asper-Smith.

32 pages, Hardcover

Published November 8, 2022

About the author

Born and raised in Juneau, Alaska, Sarah loves color and good typography, form and function; curry and goat cheese and fresh herbs, the sound of waves and the sound of wind, word play and Scrabble and puns. Spending time alone in her cabin in the woods, she came up with the idea for a children's alphabet book. Using unusual collective nouns for groups of animals, she wrote and illustrated her first book. She has seen a smack of jellyfish and hopes to avoid stumbling into a nest of vipers. Her second book, I Would Tuck You In, was a collaboration with her husband, Mitch Watley, who illustrated the many different northern animals and their young.

Reviews

[Reading_ Tamishly · Rating 5 out of 5]

The illustrations are unrealistic!!!! They seem so real and eye popping!

The book does well with the theme of teaching about the specific details of each animal featured in the pages.

Amazed me!

Thank you, Sasquatch Books, for the advance reading copy.

[Westveil Books · Rating 5 out of 5]

I was granted complimentary eARC access to I Would Teach You to Fly by Sarah Asper-Smith via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Thank you for the opportunity! My thoughts are my own and my review is honest.

I Would Teach You to Fly is a beautifully illustrated storybook that teaches interesting facts about all sorts of arctic animals. Every two-page spread features a different animal species and repeats the same "If I were a X I would teach you to..." format. Every animal has a bonus fact in smaller text in the bottom left or right corner as well. This is both a sweet bedtime story about a parent's love for their child and also an introductory-level educational book about North American arctic animals.

I can absolutely see this book working well in the home as well as in the classroom, and I would absolutely consider picking up a print copy for my own daughter if I see it after publication.

[Rebekah Giese Witherspoon · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of the loveliest children’s books I’ve ever read, “I Would Teach You to Fly” features beautiful illustrations that show the tender nurturing of baby animals by their parents, with captions like this: “If you were a bald eagle, I would teach you to fly.” The entire book is a sweet and snuggly safe place, showing little animals spending fun times with their parents as they learn new things. I recommend it wholeheartedly for all children and their parents and caregivers.

Thanks to NetGalley and to the publisher Sasquatch Books, Little Bigfoot for a digital advance review copy. The opinions expressed in this review are entirely my own.

[Dione Basseri · Rating 5 out of 5]

Parenthood, as described through the lives of various (I think entirely Alaskan) animals. This book is definitely aimed towards the parents of newborns, looking for even more ways to feel sentimental. And it does wonderfully!

The artwork is quite realistic, displaying the animals in dynamic poses within lush landscapes. You can tell that the artist did extensive research to ensure that the environments were just as true to life as the animals themselves. In addition to the general "I'd teach you to do BLANK" part of each page, there are also a few brief sentences of information about the animal, for further education.

Meant to tug on new parents' heartstrings, this book will no doubt succeed! A great pick for a baby shower.

Advanced review copy provided by the publisher.

[Emilee (emileereadsbooks) · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thanks to Netgalley and Sasquatch Books, Little Bigfoot for a free digital copy.

A cute book about a parent's love as they relay animal facts and how animal parents teach their young the things they need to know in life. I think it's sweet as well as informative.

[Luciana · Rating 5 out of 5]

A most beautiful read, with great illustrations, simple text, & interesting facts on the animals portrayed in the book.

You can learn what animals teach their young in order to thrive in nature. It is a great story to share, especially with family!

[Robin]

The illustrator of this book has been charged with posting transphobic notes in the Juneau community. His notes superimposed an assault weapon over a transgender flag plus a note reading “ feeling cute might shoot some children.” The publisher has dropped him. Please do not support this book.

[Rebecca Reid · Rating 3 out of 5]

I Would Teach You to Fly by Sarah Asper-Smith (Sasquatch Books, 2022) shows mother animals caring for and teaching their baby animals. I Would Teach You focuses on parents of all divisions of the animal kingdom, all of whom are teaching their young. In a sweet bedtime tone, I Would Teach You ends with the sweet declaration of a parent to a human child.


Each two-spread in I Would Teach You features a different mother-baby animal pair, from eagles and other birds to black bears, Artic bumblebees, coyotes, whales, and more. The pages follow a format like this:

“If you were a wolverine, I would teach you to be fearless when on the hunt for food.”

I like, then, how each page teaches a little bit about what the parents need to teach the youngsters. Growing up as a wild animal takes more than instinct: youth need to see the examples of those around them.

Further, each spread also features more detailed facts about the named animals, such as that seal pups don’t enter the water for weeks after they are born, that ptarmigans grow feathers on their feet to help them walk on snow, and so forth.

If I had one wish, it would be that the title would be changed or shortened to “I Would Teach You” or something that does not mention flying. With “teach you to fly” in the title, it suggests this book is limited to a variety of birds when in reality it is so much more. Any child interested in animals, and any parent or teacher looking for a sweet read-aloud for Mother’s Day or Father’s Day would appreciate this sweet tribute to parents loving and teaching their children.

I received a digital copy of this book for review consideration.

On the blog: https://reviews.rebeccareid.com/i-wou...

[Chantel · Rating 3 out of 5]

This picture book explores the many ways that animal species in Alaska & the Arctic grow & the ways in which their guardians ensure they are safe. The concept of this story is rather interesting & I am sure that for the young readers among us who are not so very interested in detail, this book might be the ideal fit. I was not one such child & subsequently remain a reader for whom the details weave the strength of the tapestry.

This picture book approaches every set of pages with the presentation of a different animal species. My first qualm is that some animals are called upon by their name & others with a nomenclature that was adopted through casual speech such as “killer whales” versus “Orcas”. Given the purpose of this book is to gift young readers with tender thoughts about the growth & development of these animals when they are babies, it seems an odd choice to call these animals “killer whales” — focusing on their reputation rather than the fact that is being presented.

When the story reaches its end, the illustration draws on a guardian reading to a child. The story ends rather abruptly & I think it would have been to its benefit to introduce one way that the guardian teaches the child about the world. This can be as simple as stating that they would read to them from books containing stories of life & the world—tying into the actual practice being performed in real-time.

These little qualms aside, this is a nice book & is filled with stunning illustrations of a world filled with depth & brimming with life. I feel confident that it will find its target audience & be appreciated for what it is at face value.

Thank you to NetGalley, Sasquatch Books, & Sarah Asper-Smith for the free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review!

[Donna Maguire · Rating 5 out of 5]

https://donnasbookblog.wordpress.com/...

I thought that this book was really beautiful

The book was well laid out and I loved the writing style it was a pure delight to read

It had some really lovely illustrations that really brought the book to life and each page I turned over was gorgeous, it has some of the most stunning illustrations I have seen in a book for a good while, very true to life and they suited the book so well

The book was well planned out and I loved the ending, a really lovely book all-round

It is five stars from me for this one – very highly recommended!