Review by Booklist Review
Ages 5^-9. A group of children meet a cat one morning when a double rainbow arcs across the sky. The cat has wings as well as a cloud cart full of wings for the children to try: "Let the wings match the wearer." What follows is a description of the different types of wings found in nature, from the "strong and silent" wings of an owl to the "bright as marigolds, edged like stained glass" wings of a monarch butterfly. Showing the children soaring in the sky, the illustrations, in moody, murky greens, yellows and browns, use a variety of perspectives as they fill each page with the feeling of flight. There isn't much story and the science (with brief background notes at the back) is a bit awkward, but preschool teachers may find the book useful for natural science units. --Susan Dove Lempke
From Booklist, Copyright (c) American Library Association. Used with permission.
Review by Publisher's Weekly Review
If Ryder adheres closely to the ground for Each Living Thing (reviewed above), she takes to the sky for this lyrical science lesson cloaked in a winged fantasy. A digital illustrator and designer, Lee (Where Did All the Dragons Go?) prominently features an otherworldly white-winged cat, who first appears in the frontmatter, trotting down the side of a double rainbow and pulling a cloud-covered wagon. Her card announces, "Rainbow Wings, Inc./ Seraphina Cat, Proprietor," and its reverse side invites readers to "Look under the rainbows [to] find the wings of your fancy." With the feline as their host, four children then try on the wings of 10 different creatures--owl, hummingbird, bat, etc.--until each settles on his or her favorite pair. (An appendix contains additional information about each species.) Ryder includes both scientific information (monarch wings can "carry you/ thousands of miles") as well as poetic descriptions (their wings "glow/ bright as marigolds,/ edged like stained glass"). However, the graceful imagery does not completely overcome the reined format of Seraphina's sales pitch and the somewhat repetitive language about the splendor of soaring. Lee's compositions, on the other hand, are consistently haunting and elegantly designed. Dragonflies are etched with glinting silver, and butterflies seem to envelop readers in the yellow glow of sunlight. Ages 5-10. (Mar.) (c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved
(c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved
Review by School Library Journal Review
K-Gr 4-A winged cat parks a cloud-covered wagon at the bottom of a rainbow and invites a group of youngsters to examine her wares: a variety of wings that are waiting to be tried on and tried out. In a series of double-page spreads, Ryder highlights the unique attributes of the wings of nine different animals: those of an owl are "best worn at night/when moonlight is low," while a penguin's appendages enable the wearer to travel "through the sea,/diving deep, rising high,/paddling quick as can be." Individuals who are not interested in "molting/and preening" should choose a bat's "featherless wings,/wash and wear, easy care." By book's end, all of the children have made their selections and launched off into the sky to discover places "found only in dreams." Brief facts about each of the featured flyers are appended. The paintings combine realistic glimpses of the animals with more whimsical images of the children experimenting with their new equipment. Sherbet-colored backgrounds contrast with the figures, which are rendered in slightly darker shades. As in her "Just for a Day" series (Morrow), Ryder mixes fact with fancy, inviting readers to learn a few things while stretching their imaginations. Although a bit lengthy at times, the poetic text evokes the excitement and wonder of being airborne. Pair this one with Nic Bishop's The Secrets of Animal Flight (Houghton, 1997).-Joy Fleishhacker, formerly at School Library Journal (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
(c) Copyright Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Review by Horn Book Review
A cat with wings helps some children try on and test fly the wings of owls, monarch butterflies, albatrosses, dragonflies, mute swans, bats, and golden eagles. Soft, dreamy illustrations accompany the text, written in awkward rhyme. A short description of each animal's wings and flying prowess is appended. From HORN BOOK Fall 2000, (c) Copyright 2010. The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
(c) Copyright The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
