What do you think?
Rate this book
When You Need Wings
On a day when you feel
like no one is listening,
and you wish you could just disappear,
shut your eyes and listen.
Do you hear it?
That isn't your heart.
That is the sound of your very own wings
beating within.
Lita Judge takes readers on an exploration of a child's imagination, weaving in a gentle suggestion of how to explore that bountiful inner world, and let it help them shine with courage in the real one.
like no one is listening,
and you wish you could just disappear,
shut your eyes and listen.
Do you hear it?
That isn't your heart.
That is the sound of your very own wings
beating within.
Lita Judge takes readers on an exploration of a child's imagination, weaving in a gentle suggestion of how to explore that bountiful inner world, and let it help them shine with courage in the real one.
40 pages, Hardcover
Published March 3, 2020
1 person is currently reading
119 people want to read
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 63 reviews
March 3, 2020
An energetic, delightfully illustrated, reassuring story of imagination and confidence.
August 30, 2022
I just love Lita Judge's work so when I saw this newest offering at the library I grabbed it eagerly. I don't anticipate this will be a five star book for everyone, but it really spoke to me and I thought it was beautiful. I don't have time to write and adequate review, but this review by Rachel captures many of my own feelings about the book: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
May 14, 2020
Lita Judge is one of my favorite artists - authors and illustrators - and I’m so elated with this newest picture book. As a person with anxiety, this book lifts me up. Unlike many picture books about emotions that spell out the emotion (eg when you are angry), what I appreciate most about this story is how the author doesn’t need to label the feelings her protagonist is experiencing.
Often, feelings are difficult to categorize whether you’re an adult or a child. It is possible to feel both excited and anxious at the same time. What is truly important is understanding how to self-regulate and realizing that feelings are okay. There aren’t “bad feelings” - just feelings.
In this story, a young girl is starting her first day of school and brings with her all the different feelings that can entail. With vivid and beautifully detailed art, Lita Judge helps show how one can center themselves when feeling overwhelmed by emotion to take strength and find calm. In other words, the buzz word mindfulness. Our young protagonist uses her imagination to literally take flight and surround herself with things and creatures that bring her joy and confidence. What seems like a lot of time, is probably really a few breaths of grounding, and she is ready to begin her day.
An exquisite example of exploring emotions with art that speaks to the child in all of us, this is highly recommended for everyone - young and old. Excellent for storytimes.
Often, feelings are difficult to categorize whether you’re an adult or a child. It is possible to feel both excited and anxious at the same time. What is truly important is understanding how to self-regulate and realizing that feelings are okay. There aren’t “bad feelings” - just feelings.
In this story, a young girl is starting her first day of school and brings with her all the different feelings that can entail. With vivid and beautifully detailed art, Lita Judge helps show how one can center themselves when feeling overwhelmed by emotion to take strength and find calm. In other words, the buzz word mindfulness. Our young protagonist uses her imagination to literally take flight and surround herself with things and creatures that bring her joy and confidence. What seems like a lot of time, is probably really a few breaths of grounding, and she is ready to begin her day.
An exquisite example of exploring emotions with art that speaks to the child in all of us, this is highly recommended for everyone - young and old. Excellent for storytimes.
April 24, 2020
The book opens with a quiet (read textless) sequence before we arrive at the title page. This unusual extended approach adds a marvelous weight the context of the story. (1) She clings to the baluster of the porch while he extends a hand; her pig tails drooping. (2) Her hand along with its body extends backward, suggesting the wave good bye is as hesitant as that raised footstep forward. Maybe she’s not waving at all. Note all the bird feeders & houses, and how the figures broaden the distance by occupying opposite edges of the spread. (3) They stand still and facing the wrong way for traffic on the busy sidewalk forcing passersby to walk around; you can practically hear and smell the activity. Her eyes…his; their hands. (4) And they arrive and reading the entrance sign (which we will register and keep in mind), we experience that collective nod of understanding. (5) Cue dedication and title page double spread, geese taking flight as blue silhouettes. We are there with her, standing behind her instead of the brick wall we see elsewhere. Her anxiety and reluctance are our own; so is her contemplation of those birds and that title: When You Need Wings. We are ready now for what encouragement the author/illustrator has to offer.
What Judge has to offer is permission (“if you need to today”) to remind yourself of an inner strength, of an internal landscape; a place we can go to “to find treasures / that live inside your mind.” The sign, the gate/threshold, becomes a metaphor even as the playground becomes somewhere else—the woods—and its occupants become less terrifying a creature. A reader with an eye and memory for detail will begin to suspect what the artist will later confirm. In the meanwhile, we delight in the beauty of the artwork, the fun and imagination the antics and their expressions inspire. Watch our protagonists posture shift, and her size on the page enlarge. She takes up more room.
After she listens and realizes, she arrives in a new place; a place with which she is finally ready to interact. She has seen what it can be, has envisioned it. She’s ready. She has wings. She is ready to fly. This time to use them not to fly away, to disappear, but to interact, to fly alongside with the outside world, with another.
I would recommend this book based on images alone. But the words and its message intrigues me. I rarely (if I’ve ever) come across a picture book that gives the hesitant, fearful child permission for a guilt-free retreat. And the treasure to find isn’t necessarily courage; the world is plural anyway: “treasures.” The only reference to “brave” is in the hearts of friends—“bravehearted friends”—because they will perhaps need to bravery to “go a little wild / and even to roar!” The girl doesn’t need to be brave to do those things; she’s the one instigating those things in the story.
What the creator is telling the girl (and the reader/listener) is that there are things that can be Known, and only to that individual, wings that “can’t be seen by others, but you can hear them and feel them / and use them…” You just have to “listen closely;” which will mean taking a moment. Like the girl who moves to stand near the wall, away from the children eager to engage her and “LOUD” with it. Even if no one else is listening (adults with their phones out…), she needs to listen. She needs a moment to realize her wings, find her treasures. It’s a moment visually that nearly mimics the cover. It’s a moment that gives her the strength and desire she needs engage with world outside of her.
Kudos to the storyteller for wanting us to linger longer in the interior world of our protagonist. The little houses and creatures. The animals that come to play—that tiger!! the koala with glasses... It’s a lovely place full of life, full of joy—aspects/emotions Judge carries seamlessly into the outside world at the close of the book. What a journey. The girl is going to be okay, of course she is, she’s all ready to soar.
What Judge has to offer is permission (“if you need to today”) to remind yourself of an inner strength, of an internal landscape; a place we can go to “to find treasures / that live inside your mind.” The sign, the gate/threshold, becomes a metaphor even as the playground becomes somewhere else—the woods—and its occupants become less terrifying a creature. A reader with an eye and memory for detail will begin to suspect what the artist will later confirm. In the meanwhile, we delight in the beauty of the artwork, the fun and imagination the antics and their expressions inspire. Watch our protagonists posture shift, and her size on the page enlarge. She takes up more room.
After she listens and realizes, she arrives in a new place; a place with which she is finally ready to interact. She has seen what it can be, has envisioned it. She’s ready. She has wings. She is ready to fly. This time to use them not to fly away, to disappear, but to interact, to fly alongside with the outside world, with another.
I would recommend this book based on images alone. But the words and its message intrigues me. I rarely (if I’ve ever) come across a picture book that gives the hesitant, fearful child permission for a guilt-free retreat. And the treasure to find isn’t necessarily courage; the world is plural anyway: “treasures.” The only reference to “brave” is in the hearts of friends—“bravehearted friends”—because they will perhaps need to bravery to “go a little wild / and even to roar!” The girl doesn’t need to be brave to do those things; she’s the one instigating those things in the story.
What the creator is telling the girl (and the reader/listener) is that there are things that can be Known, and only to that individual, wings that “can’t be seen by others, but you can hear them and feel them / and use them…” You just have to “listen closely;” which will mean taking a moment. Like the girl who moves to stand near the wall, away from the children eager to engage her and “LOUD” with it. Even if no one else is listening (adults with their phones out…), she needs to listen. She needs a moment to realize her wings, find her treasures. It’s a moment visually that nearly mimics the cover. It’s a moment that gives her the strength and desire she needs engage with world outside of her.
Kudos to the storyteller for wanting us to linger longer in the interior world of our protagonist. The little houses and creatures. The animals that come to play—that tiger!! the koala with glasses... It’s a lovely place full of life, full of joy—aspects/emotions Judge carries seamlessly into the outside world at the close of the book. What a journey. The girl is going to be okay, of course she is, she’s all ready to soar.
July 21, 2020
This one brought tears to my eyes for some reason. I'm the kind of person who sometimes needs to look internally for courage, so I guess I relate. The illustrations are beautiful too. I'm a fan of Lita Judge.
August 19, 2020
This one is just... not appealing to me at all. The illustrations of children here felt VERY early-mid 1990s to me, and I could not shake that feeling as I read the book. I got R. Kelly's "I Believe I Can Fly" into my head about halfway through, and it was all downhill from there.
November 28, 2020
Imaginative presentation, a positive message, and nice artwork come together in When You Need Wings. However, I would've given her something other than wings to symbolize courage and strength. To me, wings allow escape, not facing our fears.
March 4, 2020
Beautifully illustrated story about having strength when you feel all alone. Once I read the story I was flipping back through the pages just to look at the art over and over again.
March 7, 2020
Dreams take flight into a wonderful world of imagination, while bringing words of encouragement and confidence.
Some days, it feels like no one listens or hears you, and you just want to disappear. And that's when the magic can begin....if you simply are brave enough to listen.
This is one of those books, which invites kids to the world of imagination and opens the doors to the wonderful land of pretend. The illustrations are beautiful and, at the same time, are sprinkled with lovely drops of fantasy. Tigers and crocodiles invite to play with rabbits and koalas. All the while, in the natural setting of a forest. It's fun simply to gaze through the pages and dive into the world. And yet, all of this happens on the basis of an important, emotional moment, which readers can identify with.
The book starts with a girl, who feels a little alone and ignored...or at least, a little pushed to the side. Her sadness is clear and strikes sympathy. But these pages don't leave her alone. There's the warm embrace of family (a lovely message) and then, the fantasy takes flight. The ending wraps it up in an unexpected and very meaningful way.
I received a complimentary copy and enjoyed reading this one several times. So, I'm leaving my honest thoughts.
Some days, it feels like no one listens or hears you, and you just want to disappear. And that's when the magic can begin....if you simply are brave enough to listen.
This is one of those books, which invites kids to the world of imagination and opens the doors to the wonderful land of pretend. The illustrations are beautiful and, at the same time, are sprinkled with lovely drops of fantasy. Tigers and crocodiles invite to play with rabbits and koalas. All the while, in the natural setting of a forest. It's fun simply to gaze through the pages and dive into the world. And yet, all of this happens on the basis of an important, emotional moment, which readers can identify with.
The book starts with a girl, who feels a little alone and ignored...or at least, a little pushed to the side. Her sadness is clear and strikes sympathy. But these pages don't leave her alone. There's the warm embrace of family (a lovely message) and then, the fantasy takes flight. The ending wraps it up in an unexpected and very meaningful way.
I received a complimentary copy and enjoyed reading this one several times. So, I'm leaving my honest thoughts.
Read
March 13, 2020A testament to the emotional lives of children and an encouragement to call on your inner strength during times of anxiety, this colorful picture book shows a young girl going to preschool for the first time. When she feels nervous, she finds the beating wings (heartbeat) inside her that take her on a flight of fancy beyond the bad feelings.
May 19, 2021
What a sweet story about a young girl learning to navigate the world with her very own “wings”.
May 20, 2022
Definitely a very different type of illustration from the first time I read a title by Lita Judge, The Red Sled. While the illustrations are done in Judge’s bright colors these are full page painting illustrations, no white space present for contrast. I loved the reluctance drawn into the little girl as she is walking on her first day at Little Dreamers Preschool with her parent,her eye expressions and body posture say it all. Fantastic insight into childhood feelings in those illustrations.
While the illustrations highly illustrated with friendly animals where the young girl begins to daydream at first I felt were out of sync with the storyline, upon reflection on the second morning reading of the title I got it. She did not want to go to this preschool and she could use her mind for positive images and thoughts to begin an unwanted journey. In classrooms everywhere there are the “unknown daydreamers” who look like well behaved students doing well, but spending much time elsewhere.
While the illustrations highly illustrated with friendly animals where the young girl begins to daydream at first I felt were out of sync with the storyline, upon reflection on the second morning reading of the title I got it. She did not want to go to this preschool and she could use her mind for positive images and thoughts to begin an unwanted journey. In classrooms everywhere there are the “unknown daydreamers” who look like well behaved students doing well, but spending much time elsewhere.
April 23, 2025
3.75 - Good
A gentle and free prose that mingles with imaginative illustrations. Expressive characters are communicative without dialogue. Brilliant personifications of animals that dance to the tune of friendship. A calm atmosphere graces the reader and balances comfort with renewal. Sparse narration accompanies definite visuals and subtle prose. Relatable plot delivers the important message of self-regulation. Embodies the kindness that prevails when facing anxiety with strangers. Brings a heartwarming and adventurous spirit. Recommended for enjoyers of pleasant stories that introduce vital life skills.
P.S. To me, wings symbolise freedom and the ability to go wherever one pleases. I like how the story emphasizes internal courage that becomes stronger as a result of social openness. The characters have lively personalities and there is no unnecessary details.
A gentle and free prose that mingles with imaginative illustrations. Expressive characters are communicative without dialogue. Brilliant personifications of animals that dance to the tune of friendship. A calm atmosphere graces the reader and balances comfort with renewal. Sparse narration accompanies definite visuals and subtle prose. Relatable plot delivers the important message of self-regulation. Embodies the kindness that prevails when facing anxiety with strangers. Brings a heartwarming and adventurous spirit. Recommended for enjoyers of pleasant stories that introduce vital life skills.
”That is the sound of your very own wings, beating within.”
P.S. To me, wings symbolise freedom and the ability to go wherever one pleases. I like how the story emphasizes internal courage that becomes stronger as a result of social openness. The characters have lively personalities and there is no unnecessary details.
March 10, 2020
In every person's life there comes a time when your spirits dip. You are faced with a situation in which your courage and comfort are challenged. You need to dig deep in your mind and heart and find your inner strength. You need to remember your talents and your achievements. For those who are younger, this is not always easily accomplished.
Two recently published titles offer the means for boosting your beliefs in your abilities in any given circumstance. The first, When You Need Wings (Atheneum Books for Young Readers, an imprint of Simon & Schuster Children's Publishing Division, March 3, 2020) written and illustrated by Lita Judge helps your imagination to soar to new heights. These heights reach out to hope.
My full recommendation: https://librariansquest.blogspot.com/...
Two recently published titles offer the means for boosting your beliefs in your abilities in any given circumstance. The first, When You Need Wings (Atheneum Books for Young Readers, an imprint of Simon & Schuster Children's Publishing Division, March 3, 2020) written and illustrated by Lita Judge helps your imagination to soar to new heights. These heights reach out to hope.
My full recommendation: https://librariansquest.blogspot.com/...
Read
January 5, 2025The art in this is just stunning! I think the anxiety of preschool and leaving your parents will be very relatable to many kids, and just the struggle of being in a new overwhelming situation. I think this appeals to kid's desire to be imaginative and make up stories for comfort, and I see a lot of kids finding this helpful in finding more confidence. My one worry might be that it would encourage kids to hide in their imagination to avoid confronting overwhelming feelings, so I think this might be better approached with a conversation before/after about what other things we can do when we feel overwhelmed/anxious.
December 30, 2020
Subject: Self-confidence -- Juvenile fiction.
Imagination -- Juvenile fiction.
Anxiety -- Juvenile fiction.
The story moves between two worlds, and Ms. Judge uses color to define these two settings in the story. Educators this is a great opportunity for teaching visual literacy.
Lita Judge is the award-winning author and illustrator of many children's books. She lives with her husband, two cats, and a parrot in New Hampshire. Lita Judge is dyslexic and is very visual. There is a great webinar on Booklist where she discusses her writing process.
Imagination -- Juvenile fiction.
Anxiety -- Juvenile fiction.
The story moves between two worlds, and Ms. Judge uses color to define these two settings in the story. Educators this is a great opportunity for teaching visual literacy.
Lita Judge is the award-winning author and illustrator of many children's books. She lives with her husband, two cats, and a parrot in New Hampshire. Lita Judge is dyslexic and is very visual. There is a great webinar on Booklist where she discusses her writing process.
Read
March 11, 2020I love the idea behind this, finding inner strength when you need it. It's a beautiful book because Judge also does the illustrations, but there is one page, a two page spread of just the girl's face which I think is really creepy. If I buy this book for myself, I'll have to do something about that spread.
October 28, 2020
I like the imagery and imagination in this story of a little girl coming to pre-school and needing her courage to find someone to play with and listen to her. I love this story and all of Lita Judge's owl stories. Her illustrations of the fantasy in the girl's mind and her cat and other animals as she gains courage and feels comfortable at preschool with new friends.
December 13, 2023
I wasn't very into this one. A free verse poem about a girl feeling shy and wanting wings to fly away. One of the biggest indicators of good mental health and overall health is the number of close relationships you have in your life. Being social literally makes you healthier. So I don't really like books like this that encourage kids not to be social.
March 4, 2020
This story is magnificent. Anyone who is nervous or anxious will find comfort. All children will see themselves in this story and appreciate the children in the story. Look carefully to make sure you see them! They are on more pages than you think!
July 22, 2020
Beautifully illustrated and simple...this book talks about needing courage to get through sometimes loud or scary or sad days. I would love to read this to my students as the leaves start to change because the fall colors in the book would make a nice read for outside, too!
September 23, 2021
That was beautiful. This is a great book to approach change, and different ways to use imagination and inside thoughts to be brave on the outside.
My daughter really enjoyed the detail of the animals to friends transition in the end.
My daughter really enjoyed the detail of the animals to friends transition in the end.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
September 25, 2023
If this book is to be believed, that whoosh you hear when you cover your ears isn't the ocean nor your heartbeat: it's the wings inside you that give you the courage to face hard things. This is a lovely little book with gentle lyrics and lovely, imaginative illustrations.
March 11, 2020
Loved it!
March 14, 2020
A beautiful story for anyone who needs help finding a little bit of courage.
March 16, 2020
For: readers looking for a whimsical book about overcoming fears of starting school.
Possible red flags: anxiety.
Possible red flags: anxiety.
March 21, 2020
A perfect book for the times we are finding ourselves in.
April 30, 2020
The illustrations are so wonderful! Be sure to take a look at this lovely book.
May 4, 2020
An awesome book about the wonderful power of imagination. Feel free to indulge in your own daydreams!
May 27, 2020
I love Lita Judge's work. This is such a nice book with a softness to it. It is about finding inner courage.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 63 reviews