This is one of the first children's books that has made me say, "here's a book whose protagonist does things I wished more real children did." I mean, Callum tracks an endangered animal on Google Earth AND makes a human friend overseas. He's also an example of a male protagonist who is both strong and kind, one I'm hoping will appeal to young boys. In addition, this book could get children interested in learning about life in both Scotland and Africa, as well as possibly finding pen pals in those places! I also like the fact that this is an environmental story with no real villains; only theoretical ones.For all of these reasons, "Wild Wings" definitely added fuel to my "teacher fire." If I ever teach third or fourth grade, this book will definitely be on our reading list. What did I like about this book ?... 1. The way that love of animals often seems to bring out the best in people, e.g. Callum and his friends. 2. The settings - Scotland, and the osprey's trek to Africa. 3. The truth that the internet can forge long distance friendships that are real (some people argue/ worry that time spent on the internet deprives children of "real" friendships)4. The courage of the author in killing off a quirky lead character early in the book. Meningitis is a very abrupt death. The author's choice to end a prominent character's role without much warning is tribute to the fact that this is a dangerous disease that strikes fast and invokes fear in the community when it occurs. I happen to know a beautiful, genuinely good, healthy young college graduate who died suddenly overnight after falling asleep with a fever as Iona did, and there is no foreshadowing possible. The truth can be painful. That the author chose to include this very rare occurrence in a child's life, while having a fragile, wounded migrating bird survive against all odds, is a risky decision as an author, but one that had a huge impact on Callum's character development.5. The intertwining of fiction and nonfiction (COMMON CORE TEACHERS TAKE NOTE) in a way that fills MY own personal reading preferences. I know not all people are like me and enjoy making every vacation trip an educational experience or every stroll a nature walk, but this book made reading it doubly fun. Enough to excuse some of the author's uneven prose. (My longwinded writing has no such excuse ;-) ) My guess is that everyone who reads this book will be (or at least should be) inspired to use access to online resources to enrich both their educational and life experiences. Hopefully more will be encouraged to form international and intercultural "pen pal" relationships.6. The appreciation and regrets that came with the funeral. This chapter could be reworked to benefit -- more realism and shades of grey while preserving the insight about how a community of individuals often only recognizes their own complicity and expresses any regrets in social isolation, prejudice, and poverty in hindsight.
What do You think about Wild Wings (2011)?
Recommend to children who love watching the Decorah eagles each spring
—jess
Love the first 100 pages, like the next 200. Overall a good read.
—lildzel
This is one that I would like to give 4.5 stars.
—zafaroo
