Anything Is Possible

by Giulia Belloni, Marco Trevisan (Illustrations), William Anselmi (Translator)

The sheep in this story is a dreamer, while her friend the wolf has a more practical disposition. One day the sheep runs to the wolf with an idea. She wants to build a flying machine! But the wolf tells her it's impossible. Eventually, however, the sheep's dream gets the better of the wolf's doubts, and they begin to work on the project together. Through perseverance and the process of trial and error, the sheep and wolf manage to create a winning design, brought to life by architecturally and mathematically inspired paper collage art. At the end of this whimsical tale, even the wolf has to admit that anything is possible!

Genres: Picture Books, Childrens, Animals, Friendship, Wolves, Science, Engineering

32 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2011

Reviews

[Amy Hesterman · Rating 2 out of 5]

I appreciate the book's example of "When at first you don't succeed, try, try again." This, of course, is a valuable lesson for all of us to take note of. But there is a lot more to this story that could have been told. It seems a little unfinished to me. And I think my students with be left with the same feeling.

[Julie · Rating 3 out of 5]

A joyful book about the collaborative effort of two unlikely friends who persevere in achieving their dream to fly.

[Carole P. Roman · Rating 5 out of 5]

Lovely book about perseverance and teamwork. Two unlikely animals team up to see if they can create a flying machine. Beautiful illustrations take the reader on a journey as they work out Galileo-like formulas to make the possibility of flight a reality. "Someone once wrote that only those who dream learn to fly". A wonderful way to teach children that what may start out as a dream, with hard work and ingenuity the sky is the limit!

[Maria Shuffit · Rating 1 out of 5]

Not a fan of this book. The storyline is that there is a sheep who wants to fly and so she does, along with her friend who for some reason is a wolf. They run into some problems with their attempts but then suddenly something or other works - not much in the way of explanation or a tale of just how they overcame the problems they were having. There just didn't seem to be much flow, plot, or charm to this book, unfortunately.

[KC · Rating 3 out of 5]

Wolf and sheep work together to build a flying machine. Lovely illustrations.

[Stephanie · Rating 4 out of 5]

A short book with a good message about perseverance.

[Julian · Rating 4 out of 5]

A good story of teamwork, unlikely friendships, leadership, perseverance and, above all, dreaming.

There's a sheep that dreams with flying, so she goes to her best friend, a wolf, and presents her dream. The wolf tends to be on the negative side, but follows the sheep's lead. They work hard on their project and face multiple failures. At the end, they do manage to make it work.

We used the story to discuss giving up and friends supporting each other. There are also some cool drawings of diagrams with lots of stuff to discuss: rule squad, drawing compass, math formulae, etc.

The story seems to be missing something. It ends too suddenly, but you could argue that's how life's chapters work.

Good stuff.

[Melanie Hetrick · Rating 2 out of 5]

Sheep yearns to fly like the birds. He wrangles Wolf into his plans and they try several ideas before they find one that works and they are able to fly.

Didn't make a lot of sense. But maybe the problem is in the translation. Book was originally published in Italian.

[Beth · Rating 2 out of 5]

I don't think this book translated well. It felt like there was something missing from the story.

[Jill · Rating 5 out of 5]

The story begins with a sheep gazing at some birds flying overhead, wishing she could fly too. She ran to her friend, the wolf, and told him how she wanted to build a flying machine. He discouraged her, but eventually her dreams got the better of him, and they began to work together to build the machine. They made designs and built it using fabric. They took it for a test run, but the fabric ripped, sending them crashing down. The next time sheep got balloons, but upon trying a second trip, the birds popped the balloons, bringing them back to the ground again. Still not entirely discouraged, they tried it again one last time. Wolf cut out a dragon's tail while sheep cut out a head. This time, it worked! They continued to fly, thanks to their dreams.

I really liked this book, but mainly because of the awesome theme. Anything is possible, you just have to dream it and stick to it! The book itself was very simple, but the illustrations were tastefully done and the storyline was fantastic, both with flying with with a sheep and a wolf as friends.

[Kalynda · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was recommended to me by a dear friend, who is also a professor--and quite knowledgeable on the topic of all things good! :-) I picked up a copy of this great story from the library today, and I was thrilled that once again, she was spot-on with her opinion. This story is a great parallel of the problem-solving process...any kind of problem-solving. The book highlights one that comes from a inquisitive mind, a wondering, and a partner, as they try draft after draft of the sheep's quest to fly. Even though I haven't had any flying desires...well, not from something I have made ;-), the story connected to the passionate pursuits of my own ideas and all the highs and lows of the process. If you are looking for an engineering story, a design/drafts story, an invention story, a growth mindset story, or just a really good story...look no further. :-)

[Christine Grant · Rating 3 out of 5]

Imagination Storytime

This book about a sheep and a wolf who get together to build a flying machine is the perfect STEM story. I could have done a better job of explaining that the box is the machine and that the fabric, balloons, and later, the dragon components were the wings needed to complete the project. I felt like the story was missing something when I read it to the children, but I think the fault was mine.

[Lacey · Rating 3 out of 5]

A determined sheep with a dream and a not so sure wolf try to build a flying machine. When ideas don't work they have to work together to come up with new solutions. Can they make anything possible?

This story has a good meaning to hard work and not giving up.

This book would be great to read in the classroom.

[Nina · Rating 5 out of 5]

Anything is Possible is a heartwarming picture book that encourages young readers to embrace their creativity and believe in the limitless possibilities of their imagination. Through enchanting illustrations and a delightful narrative, Belloni's book serves as a delightful reminder that with imagination, determination, and a positive mindset, anything truly is possible for children.

[Marlene · Rating 4 out of 5]

Does your child give up easily? Are they afraid to try something difficult? Sheep and Wolf will help them understand that failure is simple the first step to success as they attempt to build a flying machine.

[Elizabeth · Rating 5 out of 5]

A picture book that defies everything…I love it. A sheep and a wolf being friends? A sheep and a wolf who work together to build three prototypes for flying? On the third try, a flying dragon that works? Yes to all!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[R. G. Nairam · Rating 3 out of 5]

The ending is a bit unsatisfying. But I really like the art and tone. D:

[Sarah Netland · Rating 4 out of 5]

Love the art in this book. It was a huge part of the story and it is what drew me in. The story was lovely and it really offered encouragement. Great book for kids!

[Kelly Fisher · Rating 5 out of 5]

Uplifting story. I feel as there is never enough of those story’s . I think it would be a great story to read in a Monday morning.

[Olivia S · Rating 1 out of 5]

Weird. Feels like a picture book written by someone who doesn't know how to write kids' books. Not for me.

[Gabriella · Rating 4 out of 5]

Funny story with a "try, try again" theme. Unique illustrations. Cute characters that break stereotypes.

[Adam Barrett · Rating 5 out of 5]

A quick easy book about working together.

[Rita Salfetnikova · Rating 4 out of 5]

Picture Book/ Fantasy
Copyright 2013
This book is about a sheep that wants to learn how to fly. Convincing the wolf they build a "flying machine" together and take to the sky. This books main idea is that anything is possible if you believe and try. I would allow students to read this book during silent reading time. Grades k-3.

[Barbara · Rating 3 out of 5]

Sheep dreams of flying one day while her friend Wolf is more practical and pragmatic. But Sheep convinces Wolf to help her design a flying machine, and they get right to work. Their first attempt, fashioned from fabric and curtain rods, is a disaster, and they fall from the sky. But Sheep isn't finished, and they try balloons, and then an innovative design using all their ideas plus a couple more touches. Finally, they are flying, and as the last page of the book says, "The sky before them was wide open" (unpaged). The illustrations and endpapers filled with mathematical formulas are quite appealing, and the message of never giving up is encouraging. But young readers may not be able to make the leap from their last failed experiment to the one that worked. Surely, adding paper to the invention wouldn't allow them to fly, which makes me wonder if adding another page with another step might have helped. I also wondered about how the two came to be friends. Then again, it might be that no one but me felt a little confused until the second reading of the book.

[Marcia · Rating 3 out of 5]

Sheep and wolf set out to build a flying machine, and suffer a couple of set backs before succeeding. The message is load and clear: persevere! don't give up! work together!
The illustrations use multi-media collage, which does set this simple story apart, and the end papers are fantastic. Who knew math could be so pretty!

[Shelli · Rating 3 out of 5]

Another reviewer already posted my exact thoughts on Anything is Possible. Which is: while I appreciated the moral of the story, if at first you don’t succeed try try again, the story felt incomplete and rushed. My daughter and I both kind of shrugged our shoulders when we finished reading it.

[Laura · Rating 3 out of 5]

A wolf and a sheep decide that they, like the birds, would like to fly. They try several designs before they finally take off. I loved the charming animal illustrations and the message to try, try again. The flying machine is obviously impossible and the end of the book felt incomplete or rushed.

[Eva Kelly · Rating 4 out of 5]

You know what? This one is really ELABORATE! The wolf and the sheep want to fly, and all the other animals keep trying to ruin it, but then they figure it out anyway and they fly! They should just try hang gliding. If you took a big kite up to the top of Moss Glen Falls you could fly. And then you could land in the water! That should be the NEXT book.

[Whole And · Rating 5 out of 5]

Sheep has a dream, wolf doesn't believe but they begin to build and succeed!
An excellent story for learning how to imagine, believe anything is possible and begin to build the dream. Encouraging for the dreamy child who may feel others aren't on board to believe in themselves. Also helpful for the child that may not be in touch with their imagination and takes a doubtful position in life.

[Jo Oehrlein · Rating 3 out of 5]

Shows an invention from idea to working, with several failures along the way. Unfortunately, most iterations are pretty different than prior versions rather than the normal incremental improvements.

Lots of math equations on the end papers and some in the illustrations themselves.

Really advocates persistence more than any real engineering methodology.