What do you think?
Rate this book
Learning to Fly
Penguins can t fly. Of course they can t. Can they?
A wayward penguin is found by the side of the road and convinces his rescuer he crashed while flying. The unusual pair tries all sorts of methods to return the penguin to the sky (all remarkably unsuccessful) until the day when the penguin finally rediscovers the secret of flight within himself. This charming, simple, and understated parable is ideal for children starting school, graduates, job-seekers, newlyweds, and anyone else who s learning to fly in unfamiliar skies.
A wayward penguin is found by the side of the road and convinces his rescuer he crashed while flying. The unusual pair tries all sorts of methods to return the penguin to the sky (all remarkably unsuccessful) until the day when the penguin finally rediscovers the secret of flight within himself. This charming, simple, and understated parable is ideal for children starting school, graduates, job-seekers, newlyweds, and anyone else who s learning to fly in unfamiliar skies.
56 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 2005
1 person is currently reading
71 people want to read
About the author
Sebastian Meschenmoser
36 books30 followersSebastian Meschenmoser studied fine arts in Mainz, Germany. His illustrations were chosen from more than 2,700 entries and presented at the Children's Book Fair in Bologna in recognition of him being one of the most innovative new illustrators. As an accomplished artist with several exhibitions to his name, Sebastian Meschenmoser is among Germany's most successful and admired young illustrators for children.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 23 of 23 reviews
September 10, 2009
The premise is great--a penguin thinks he can fly and he DOES until a flock of "regular" birds flies past him and says, "Penguins can't fly." Then, he falls. Classic example of how so many of us fail to follow our true passion and talents simply because of what is "expected" of us. Shudder! The little penguin meets a very nice man who hears his story and decides to help him learn how to fly. They try all sorts of things but nothing works. Finally, one day, they are outside and a flock of penguins flies by--and our little penguin flies up to join them.
Overall, I like the message of this book. I guess part of me just wanted the penguin to rediscover his passion on his own--or perhaps I wanted him to be more of an individual, maybe he is the ONLY penguin who can fly and, hey, that is a-okay! Even so, I suppose the ending with his being inspired by others of his own kind is satisfactory, too. The illustrations are warm, sometimes humorous, pencil sketches and I liked them though I honestly don't know how much "kid appeal" this would have for a general audience, and I think the book and illustrations are too small for a good read-aloud to a group. Still, it's nice to see this work by a well-known German author/illustrator available to US audiences.
Overall, I like the message of this book. I guess part of me just wanted the penguin to rediscover his passion on his own--or perhaps I wanted him to be more of an individual, maybe he is the ONLY penguin who can fly and, hey, that is a-okay! Even so, I suppose the ending with his being inspired by others of his own kind is satisfactory, too. The illustrations are warm, sometimes humorous, pencil sketches and I liked them though I honestly don't know how much "kid appeal" this would have for a general audience, and I think the book and illustrations are too small for a good read-aloud to a group. Still, it's nice to see this work by a well-known German author/illustrator available to US audiences.
April 23, 2008
I think this book is a little gem--possibly some form of genius. I'm not even sure why. The illustrations are HIL-arious. And I'm pretty sure there's a hidden message in there.... Fly, little penguins of the world! Fly!
January 14, 2020
I recently had the great good fortune to stumble upon Sebastian Meschenmoser's
Waiting for Winter
, and being immensely impressed by the expressive power of his (mostly) pencil illustrations, I immediately began looking about for any other work of his that might be available. A German picture-book author and illustrator of some renown, his books are just beginning to be known here in the US, and Learning to Fly (Fliegen lernen in the original) was the first to be translated.
The tale of a penguin who longs to fly, and who is assisted in his ambition by a man who happens upon him one winter, it has moments of undeniable charm. Meschenmoser's drawings have a tender quality to them, as in the scene in which the man is squatting down to listen to his new friend, whose wings are outspread as he tells his story. But they can also be quite humorous, as seen in the scenes in which man and penguin do their calisthenics together. The conclusion to the story, after all the great effort invested by our two characters, has an ironic feeling of rightness to it: things happen when they are meant to happen.
All in all, this little picture-book has definite charm, although I couldn't escape from the feeling that the narrator was too self-conscious of a fabulist. I also felt that the smaller size of this title - approximately 7x6 inches - meant that the brilliant detail of Waiting for Winter was missing here. Still, this is a solid entry in a body of work that I can only hope will continue to grow - and continue to be available in English!
The tale of a penguin who longs to fly, and who is assisted in his ambition by a man who happens upon him one winter, it has moments of undeniable charm. Meschenmoser's drawings have a tender quality to them, as in the scene in which the man is squatting down to listen to his new friend, whose wings are outspread as he tells his story. But they can also be quite humorous, as seen in the scenes in which man and penguin do their calisthenics together. The conclusion to the story, after all the great effort invested by our two characters, has an ironic feeling of rightness to it: things happen when they are meant to happen.
All in all, this little picture-book has definite charm, although I couldn't escape from the feeling that the narrator was too self-conscious of a fabulist. I also felt that the smaller size of this title - approximately 7x6 inches - meant that the brilliant detail of Waiting for Winter was missing here. Still, this is a solid entry in a body of work that I can only hope will continue to grow - and continue to be available in English!
November 19, 2017
Ich musste so herzhaft lachen über diese kleine, süße Geschichte. Welch Schätzchen.
December 23, 2008
I love the illustrations in this book. They are, in my opinion, the perfect balance between sketchy and detailed. And hilarious. The words by themselves would be an odd sort of preachy fable, but combined with the pictures this book becomes a hilarious and encouraging story about doing the impossible.
September 22, 2017
This is the best book. I am delighted every time I rediscover that I actually BOUGHT the book after reading it through in the bookstore. I re-read it pretty much on the regular.
The story isn't really special, but the telling of it is, and the illustrations are perfect. No, that's not eve enough. The whole book is perfect. The gentleness of the tone ties in with the sketchiness of the drawings. There's so much trust wrapped up in the human's doggedness to get the penguin into the air, and in the penguin's assumed knowledge that, well, something gonna work for sure. No one is in a hurry, here. There's nothing to prove. It's just a man and a penguin remembering how to fly.
The story isn't really special, but the telling of it is, and the illustrations are perfect. No, that's not eve enough. The whole book is perfect. The gentleness of the tone ties in with the sketchiness of the drawings. There's so much trust wrapped up in the human's doggedness to get the penguin into the air, and in the penguin's assumed knowledge that, well, something gonna work for sure. No one is in a hurry, here. There's nothing to prove. It's just a man and a penguin remembering how to fly.
October 31, 2023
published in Germany, it's whimsical along with being very serious. A man finds a penguin who tells that he had been flying and now cannot. What happens while he stays with the man is heartwarming because of the man's persistence and creativity to help and the penguin's willingness not to give up! What happens at the end shows how one thing overshadows all the other ideas. Wonderful line illustrations help tell this adventurous tale. What would you do if you found a penguin in need? This will make an intriguing conversation with a group!
June 28, 2017
Kids will probably focus on the humor, especially in the illustrations. If they miss the theme, they'll still enjoy the fantasy. Adults will focus on the theme, and give this to high school graduates etc. My inner child and I loved everything about it and want to own a copy.
Meschenmoser is indeed one of my very favorite authors.
Meschenmoser is indeed one of my very favorite authors.
January 10, 2018
A really cute story and illustrations.
March 7, 2018
Silly book with great illustrations.....same author as "Pug Man's Three Wishes"
December 12, 2020
Delightful! Charming sketches with splashes of color. The penguin and the dude were great friends.
June 3, 2021
Este libro me sorprendió. La forma de contar el cuento, los dibujos "a lápiz" que conectan con su autor en un estilo tan personal... y por supuesto ese creer ferviertemente que se puede volar.
June 16, 2022
Open Library.
August 11, 2013
Lots of good discussion could come from this story. A man comes upon a penguin who says he's been flying (even though penguins can't fly). But one day, when he is flying, he encounters a group of other birds. They tell him, "Penguins can't fly", he believes them (even though evidence says otherwise) and he crashes. He and his human try everything to help him regain the ability to fly: a training program, books, kites, rockets, you name it. Nothing seems to work until a penguin colony flies overhead and he joins them. And he "flew pretty well ... for a penguin."
The illustrations add a lot of humor to this very serious topic of negative talk from others or self (or both) that takes away one's confidence "to fly."
The illustrations add a lot of humor to this very serious topic of negative talk from others or self (or both) that takes away one's confidence "to fly."
March 20, 2016
02/11: Fun & quirky
Amazon Book Description:
Penguins can t fly. Of course they can t. Can they?
A wayward penguin is found by the side of the road and convinces his rescuer he crashed while flying. The unusual pair tries all sorts of methods to return the penguin to the sky (all remarkably unsuccessful) until the day when the penguin finally rediscovers the secret of flight within himself. This charming, simple, and understated parable is ideal for children starting school, graduates, job-seekers, newlyweds, and anyone else who s learning to fly in unfamiliar skies.
Amazon Book Description:
Penguins can t fly. Of course they can t. Can they?
A wayward penguin is found by the side of the road and convinces his rescuer he crashed while flying. The unusual pair tries all sorts of methods to return the penguin to the sky (all remarkably unsuccessful) until the day when the penguin finally rediscovers the secret of flight within himself. This charming, simple, and understated parable is ideal for children starting school, graduates, job-seekers, newlyweds, and anyone else who s learning to fly in unfamiliar skies.
July 2, 2011
I really liked this picture book...but it is more of a picture book for adults to read and think about. I don't think kids will love the pictures or get the point of the story. But this is a good one to share with a grown-up friend who needs a happy thought at the end of a hard day.
February 7, 2009
This went straight into the most beloved books section of my heart - I can't wait for the next time someone to asks me for a children's picture book suggestion.
May 21, 2009
Good story about believing in yourself. The penguin could fly just fine until he was told that penguins can't fly.
August 3, 2011
great illustrations. hilarious and inspiring.
February 3, 2016
Brilliant illustrations!
August 22, 2012
Thinking about the start of school, this book has a powerful message. When we believe in ourselves anything is possible.
August 31, 2013
Sweet book about following your passion, even when everyone says it's impossible. Great illustrations!
Read
April 20, 2014Its very charming and funny
Displaying 1 - 23 of 23 reviews