April 3, 2015

Perfect Picture Book Friday - Flap Your Wings

Happy Perfect Picture Book Friday, Everyone!

Since it's technically Spring, and since Sunday is Easter, I chose a book about an egg :)  It is another older book - almost 20 years older than last week's older book! - but it is one of my All Time Favorites!


Flap Your Wings
Written & Illustrated By: P.D. Eastman
Random House, 1969, Fiction
Suitable For: ages 3-8
Themes/Topics: assumptions, non-traditional family, unconditional love, responsibility
Opening: (this is actually the first three pages.)
"An egg lay in the path.
A boy came down the path.  He saw the egg.  "Someone might step on that egg and break it," he said.
He looked around.
He saw flamingos and frogs, and turtles and alligators.  "Whose egg is this?" he called.  But no one answered."

Brief Synopsis:  A little boy finds an egg.  He doesn't want it to get damaged, so he looks around until he finds the nest and carefully puts it back.  When Mr. and Mrs. Bird come home, they are surprised to find an egg in their nest... it wasn't there when they left!  But Mr. Bird says that if an egg is in their nest it must be their egg, so they must take care of it.  So they do... with very surprising results!

Links To Resources:  Ideas And Activities For Guided ReadingIncubation & Embryology Activities, use with An Egg Is Quiet (from PPBF link list), talk about what kind of animals, insects and reptiles lay eggs and how the eggs are the same and different.

Why I Like This Book:  This book is fun to read as a picture book, but is also an I Can Read type book that is very accessible to new readers.  The pictures are delightful - Mr. and Mrs. Bird's expressions are very entertaining.  But I really love the story because it doesn't go where you would expect.  It's funny.  And it's a great example of what agents, editors and reviewers mean when they talk about re-readability.  This book delighted me as a child, and delighted my children in their turn.  I've read it so many times that even now, years since I last read it to my kids, I can recite almost the whole book.  It's fun every time :)

If you get a chance to read it, I hope you like it as much as I do!

For the complete list of books with resources, please visit Perfect Picture Books.

Before we head off to our weekends, I just want to share a little housekeeping note for those of you who are new to Perfect Picture Book Fridays:

Perfect Picture Books are more than just reviews.

The thing that sets Perfect Picture Books apart is the resources.

It is our goal to make it easy for parents, teachers, and homeschoolers to expand on the use of picture books.

Essentially, we're handing them a great picture book and one or more activities they can use with it ready-made.

The resources you provide may be online links, but they don't have to be.  Many PPBF bloggers think up GREAT activities and discussion questions and recipes and games etc...

The crucial thing is that the book you post must have at least one good resource to expand on its use at home and/or in the classroom in order to be added to the comprehensive list.  And the resource must be ready to use - by which I mean, saying a book can be used for finger rhymes or a math activity doesn't help a parent or teacher who doesn't know any finger rhymes or math activities, so please tell us which finger rhyme and how to do it, or provide a specific math activity, etc.  Thank you so much!

PPBF bloggers please be sure to leave your post-specific link in the list below so we can all come visit you and see what terrific books you've chosen this week!

Have a lovely weekend, everyone, and Happy Easter and Happy Passover to those who celebrate!



40 comments:

  1. I LOVE P.D. Eastman! Two of my very favorite children's books of all time (Are You My Mother and Go Dog Go) are by him. But this one, I have never seen. Definitely need to pick it up.

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  2. I love Are You My Mother? The baby bird meeting the Snort makes the class giggle, most especially when I wail "Where am I? I want my mother!!" Flap Your Wings looks like it could be a giggle too! Don't eat too much chocolate, Susanna! 🍫🍫🍫🍫

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  3. As a preschooler, Flap Your Wings was one of the first books I read myself. Now P.D. Eastman's Are You My Mother? is one of my mentor texts.

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  4. I don't believe we've read this one. Enzo studied eggs and all things Easter this week at preschool. My title was too long to include the full title. AND, can you believe I forgot to go back and add in a resource until I saw your reminder. I was SO EXCITED to talk about why I loved this book, I forgot to add in the resources. It's on their now. Hope you have have a great Easter and Spring is finally appearing.

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  5. It must be a sign! I found a nest two days ago and figured if it's in my tree it must be mine! Ha! It was in the Christmas tree which I was chopping up (I use the branches for mulch around my soft fruit), but what it really means must be that I need to go on an Eastman binge! Perfect for spring too!

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  6. I LOVE (!!!) PD Eastman..... Esp. Are you My Mother? I'll have to re-read this one. I see we both have birds on the brain...

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  7. What a lovely spring choice. I have only read one Eastman book. This one sounds like it is fun. Will check this one out.

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  8. Oh thos sounds like a delightful read. :-)

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  9. I totally agree with you Susanna, this is a truly delightful book in words and pictures! I also read and reread it to my children. It'll make you laugh, smile, and feel good! Thanks for sharing it with us Susanna.

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  10. This_Kid_Reviews_Books_ErikApril 3, 2015 at 12:00 PM

    This sounds like a great book! I really need to read this!

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  11. I remember reading this to my kids in the seventies when they were little. So cute and a wonderful choice here at Easter. Have a great Easter, Susanna!

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  12. We loved "Are you my Mother" to my kids as well when they were little. It is ironic and fun! We had chickens and all kinds of fowl then, incubating them and gathering eggs each day. such good memories. :)

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  13. I love finding those beautifully crafted enduring stories that last generations. This is one of P D Eastman's that I haven't yet read.

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  14. Well, now I'll have to go in search of this one to find out what hatches. I hope it's a crocodile...

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  15. Seriously, I saw that cover and was instantly transported back to my childhood. Thank you for this beautiful trip down memory lane.

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  16. Jennifer Cole JuddApril 3, 2015 at 9:29 PM

    This is perfect for spring! My whole backyard was filled with birdsong this morning--now I have a new (to me!) read to go with that lovely music. :)

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  17. Definitely an oldie but a goodie, Susanna...a blast from the past. ;) Not sure I will be able to join in with a post today...but I will try. ;)

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  18. I thought the illustrations looked familiar. Just read Mike's comment about "Are you my Mother" and it clicked. I've read that one but not "Flap Your Wings." Sounds like a good story.

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  19. P. D. Eastman brings back my childhood, but this was written when I was past picture books so I haven't read it. I really should catch up, huh? lol

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  20. You definitely should catch up on this one, Donna! Wait til you see what's in the egg...! :)

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  21. I'm glad someone else is fond of this one too, Vivian! And no worries about posting today!

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  22. I am indeed! And I LOVE this story. I love how willing the dad is to take care of the egg, and I REALLY love what comes out of the egg :)

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  23. You will be surprised when you see what kind of "bird" hatches from this egg, Jennifer :)

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  24. Oh, I'm so glad someone else got transported back to childhood by this book, Barbara - I love it!

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  25. I'm thinking maybe you've read it at some point... because you're VERY close! :)

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  26. I think it's his best! (Although I do like ARE YOU MY MOTHER too :)) I hope you get a chance to read it, Joanna!

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  27. You will love it, Erik! Just wait and see! :)

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  28. Oh, I'm so glad you like it too, Michelle! It's always been such a favorite in our house!

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  29. It IS, Angela! Just wait til you see what comes out of the egg.... :)

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  30. I hope you like it, Pat - it's a fun one! :)

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  31. That's better than being bird brains :) I hope you like this one, Sue - I love it!

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  32. Glad you like it, Julie :) And every year, we put our Christmas tree out in the woods near the house on purpose so the birds can shelter in it during the hard months of January and February. They always make use of it!

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  33. That is a first for you, Stacy - you are always excellent about including resources and have been such a devoted member of PPBF from the early days. I was certainly not directing that comment at you! Hope your Easter was wonderful! :)

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  34. Both such excellent stories, aren't they, Manju? Simple, but clever enough to work so well and stand the test of time!

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  35. Who, me? Eat too much chocolate??? There's no such thing :) I hope you get a chance to read this one, Julie - I think your class will like it! :)

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  36. Oh, you MUST, Joanne! It's SO good :) I won't give you any hints!

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  37. Oh, it was just funny that I forgot on the week you posted a reminder. :) I still haven't made it through the whole list.

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  38. The Easter bunny came.... ha ha.....and I have eaten too much chocolate :-/

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  39. And I JUST got notice that it's waiting for me at my library :) Woowoo!

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