School Library Journal Review
PreS-K-Starting with the title, Klein utilizes 12 rhyming words, presented in carefully plotted succession, to tell the tale of a baby bird's first flight: from fearful trepidation ("Clings"), that doozy of a first step ("Flings"), a rough landing ("Stings"), determination to try again ("Springs."), to heart-lifting triumph ("Zings!"). Created with Avery labels colored with markers, dePaola's bright-hue collage illustrations are fresh, airy, and thoroughly captivating. The artwork conveys and enriches the succinct story with eye-catching action and playful humor. With its proud posture and wide-open eyes, the featured bird immediately stands out from among three nearly identical nestmates, cueing readers to expect great things. The protagonist's emotions and moments of discovery are conveyed through its animated features and expressive body language; the minimalist background details keep attention focused on the baby bird's adventures, and mesmerized youngsters will breathlessly follow each up and down. VERDICT Share this exuberant tale about learning to soar as a read-aloud, or use it with older kids to explore how a story can be crafted from a list of rhyming words. An easy-to-read choice about mastering milestones with élan.-Joy Fleishhacker, Pikes Peak Library District, Colorado Springs © Copyright 2019. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Publisher's Weekly Review
Using a series of single words that rhyme with the title, Klein's picture book debut tells a story about a little bird's first flight. In a nest are four pink, plump baby birds. (Sharp-eyed readers will spot their parents on the title page, watching the goings-on from another tree.) Only one baby has that unmistakable look of a confident first-mover; the bird "clings" precariously to the nest's edge with its wings extended, then "flings" itself off, and tumbles to the ground ("stings"). But all is not lost-the bird discovers a mother lode of worms ("things"), and the prospect of providing its nestmates with a snack ("brings?") inspires it to gather its strength and go airborne ("springs... sings!") DePaola (Quiet) captures the milestone moments with collages made from press-on labels, decorated with exuberant marker work, and animated with his customary wit. Beautifully extending the words' clever minimalism, the simple, subtly dimensional shapes and lush, translucent colorations (the nest itself is a panoply of purples, blues, and browns) make this simple story soar. Ages 4-8. Author's agent: Brianne Johnson, Writers House. Illustrator's agent: Doug Whiteman, Whiteman Agency. (Mar.) © Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.
