Wings to Fly

Bird

Written by: Zetta Elliot

Illustrated by: Shadra Strickland

Lee & Low Books Inc., 2008

48 pages

Multicultural Fiction

Mehkai, known as Bird, has a passion for drawing; he likes to draw what he sees so he will always remember them. Bird goes through many life struggles throughout the book; his grandfather has recently passed and his brother is addicted to drugs. When Bird's granddad passes, his granddad's friend, Uncle Son, takes over and takes care of Bird. Bird's brother, Marcus, becomes overly addicted and "sick" that he no longer lives at the house and is of very rough health. Like his drawings, Bird wishes to erase Marcus' sickness and fix him up. But is it really only as simple as that?

The illustrations are a combination of watercolor, gouache, charcoal, and pen. Some of the illustrations are visuals of Bird's drawings of how he sees things. The texture appears to be very soft. Lines are used heavily in this book; they are curved, straight, thin, and thick.

I chose English Language Arts as my subject and first grade for my grade level. I would instruct the students to flip through the book and identify feelings and senses portrayed throughout it. I would have them think about their own emotions and feelings to certain circumstances and compare/contrast them to those of the characters.