I love flying kites.
I remember going with my Mom when I was a kid,
flying cheap ones over the baseball field near our house.
I’d really love to get a good kite,
and take it out flying sometime.
I may not start a bridge with my kite,
but I’ll have fun!
P.S. I know this author! She’s really funny, knowledgable, and overall awesome 🙂
Title: The Kite that Bridged Two Nations
Published by: Calkins Creek, 2013
Written by: Alexis O’Neill
Illustrated by: Terry Widener
Word Count: 1047
Pages: 40
In one word: Inspirational
In one sentence: Homan Walsh loves flying kites and sets his sights on a bigger goal: flying a kit that will help build a bridge from US to Canada!
Favorite pages:
Likes:
What a cool story! I love the theme or perserverance that runs throughout the whole book.
The attention to detail in the text really helps us understand what it takes to make a kite.
I love the first person account! Doing that brings us closer to the story. We’re more invested in Homan’s story!
The illustrations are gentle and expansive and lively at the same time!
The text almost reads like one long poem. The language is so poetic and the verbs are perfect!
And talk about an author’s note! I love that Alexis breaks it down into “what we know” and “what we don’t know” so we can tell how the history and fiction merge. Love all the sources too!
Learns:
There’s a history to everything…who would have thought the story of a bridge would be so interesting? Look for history and inspiration everywhere!
You can use a lot of words if you make each of them count!
What did you read today?
I met Scott Westerfeld yesterday, author of many YA and Adult books. It was so awesome!
Today I’m meeting Marla Frazee (stay tuned for info about that and to see her newest book here) AND Neil Patrick Harris (he’s got an autobiography that’s written like a Choose Your Own Adventure!)
Should be a fun Wednesday!
See ya tomorrow!
KE
I have a signed copy of this book. Alexis O’Neill was scheduled to sign her book at the SCIBA Literacy Dinner in Pasadena, but the books didn’t make it to the event. Amazingly, her publisher arranged for everyone who wanted a copy to have them mailed (signed and personalized!).
I’ve been to events where Marla Frazee has spoken. I am sure she will not disappoint. I’m excited about her new book.
Hope the Neil Patrick Harris event isn’t too crazy. I’ve seen his book and it seems like something he might be able to pull off. We saw the movie “Gone Girl” over the weekend. He was really robbed in terms of where he could have taken that character. They took out so many of the details of his craziness — most importantly the relationship with his mother.
Have fun! Can’t wait to hear about these events.