The Horn Book Guide

PICTURE BOOKS

Blake, Robert J.

Fledgling

32 pp. | Philomel | October, 2000 | Trade ISBN 0-399-23321-0 $$15.99

(2) K-3 "Today is the day we are all going to fly," announces the kestrel perched high on a New York City roof. The fledgling then launches herself into an eventful flight that will include darting into the subway to elude a hawk. The minimal text reveals her perceptions and motives, but Blake's superb art really tells the story, and his manipulation of perspective and composition to simulate the kestrel's point of view is masterful.

Reviewer: Joanna Rudge Long | Horn Book Magazine Issue: January, 2001