Fly, Fly Again

by Katie Jaffe, Jennifer Lawson

Fly, Fly Again is a clever and charming story about Jenny, a child who dreams of flying. After years of tinkering in makeshift laboratories and studying the mechanics of flight with her pet Hawk, Jenny builds a plane—only to crash into the yard of her skateboarding neighbor, Jude, and his pet cheetah. Working with Jude, Jenny successfully learns how to control and fly her plane. This unique story includes lessons about problem solving, teamwork, and determination as well as family-friendly information about the basics of aeronautical engineering like lift, drift, and more!

Genres: Picture Books, Childrens

32 pages, Hardcover

Published January 7, 2020

Reviews

[Briar's Reviews · Rating 3 out of 5]

Fly, Fly Again is a sweet, little children's novel.

I quite liked the overall story - a kid tries to learn to fly by building a machine. Add in the beautiful pictures that really paint this story, and you've got yourself a fun, little book!

I truly love that this book opens up flying and technology to children. It feels very welcoming and open towards the fun engineering can have. It has a cute little rhyming scheme (which I never enjoy, but that's not to say that the readers won't!) that helps paint the story. I also really enjoyed the theme of never giving up, which totally fits in with learning to fly and taking part in technology and engineering.

My biggest negative about this book is that I don't think the readers will understand all of the language used within this book. The advanced language in a children's picture book just seems... off. Parents and reading buddies can definitely explain, but I think that defeats the purpose. Unless this book is going for a higher education level than I'm assuming it is.

Overall, this book is cute and a must read for parents wanting to introduce STEM to their children!

Three out of five stars.

I received this book for free through NetGalley.

[Natalie all_books_great_and_small · Rating 4 out of 5]

I received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review via netgalley and the publishers.

What a beautiful rhyming picture book with gorgeous illustrations to boot! This book sends the message if you dont succeed to try again and is an inspirational, uplifting and fun read!
I loved the use of language used and poetic rhyming too that all mixed and flowed together beautifully.
A delightful read all children will enjoy with a positive meaning to all.

[La Coccinelle · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a story about a child who tries to build a flying machine. The premise reminded me a little bit of Rosie Revere, Engineer , although that is a much stronger book. Fly, Fly Again suffers from a number of problems that even its cute illustrations can't really overcome.

The meter of the rhyming text is generally okay. But the writing itself has a number of problems, technical and content-wise. The text, unfortunately, appears to be slapped on the page with little thought to layout; there are often typographic widows, and the text is sometimes difficult to read because of where it's been placed over the illustration. As for the content, I wasn't that impressed. The book appears to be trying to teach about the principles of flight, but those concepts are not always that clear:

We can pitch up or
down,
and roll side to side.
Use rudder to yaw
with a wiggle and slide.

Would kids have a good understanding of pitch, roll, and yaw after reading that? If I didn't already know what those concepts were, I don't think I'd be able to figure it out from that little snippet. Also, I'm not impressed with the talking hawk. The book's going merrily along with a non-fiction sort of vibe, and then the bird, inexplicably, starts talking on one page. (And why do these kids have a hawk and a cheetah as pets? Is that even legal?)

The illustrations are really strong. However, they're kind of marred by the text that's just stuck willy-nilly wherever there's a fairly blank space (but, even then, some words end up lying on top of detailed parts of the picture, making them difficult to read). I would've liked to see a little more thought go into the layout so that the story can make the best use of the cute pictures.

While Fly, Fly Again has a decent premise and strong illustrations, I'm not sure if I'd recommend it. It could definitely use some tweaking on the layout. And taking out the part about the talking bird might give the book a little more credibility as a STEM title.

Thank you to NetGalley and Greenleaf Book Group Press for providing a digital ARC.

[Richard · Rating 3 out of 5]

The biggest coup for this book was to engage Buzz Aldrin to write a forward to Fly, Fly Again.
He points out key elements in the story. Dedication, scientific exploration, research and problem-solving.
Jenny is a firebrand if a young girl, a dreamer, dedicated to learn to fly. Never frustrated by setbacks and failures she perseveres and try again.
Set into rhyming couplets, the story is well illustrated and progresses from inspiration to realisation.
The story is engaging and all consuming as the personality of Jenny and her animal friends, a Hawk and a Cheetah drives the book along.
My only reservation is the mix of fact and fiction; reality and dreams mixed together to blur the sense of physical laws and experience. We would all love to fly and defy gravity with technological innovation.
It is designed for young children, but the laws of science being involved concerns me as it set up as factual rather than fantasy.
I worry where imagination runs away in a children ‘s story and confusion follows. Or is it just me?

[Laura · Rating 2 out of 5]

I think this book doesn't know what it wants to be. I think this book wants to teach children to be persistence. I think this book wants teach children to be about science. I think this book wants to teach children about inventing.

But it fails, for me, on all of these. If it is trying to teach children about science, then I wouldn't have had a talking hawk, and a pet leopard.

If it was trying to teach about inventing, it would not have had a flying box, and actually made something that could actually fly with more then a heavy dose of imagination.

And if it is trying to teach about persistence, then the device should have gone from being a flying box, to something that actually would fly.



Thanks to Netgalley for making this book available for an honest review.

[Becki · Rating 5 out of 5]

The cover of this book is its first attraction – the optimistic smiles and the aviator goggles immediately stole my heart.

What an adorable book! The rhymes and fun motion words (lift, drift, tilt) are not only fun to say, but also lead to lessons about the engineering behind Jenny and Jude’s attempts at flight. The illustrations are also bright, detailed, and informative. They contain even more descriptions of what Jenny and Jude will use in their creations and arrows showing how they want the parts to move. Not sure if a flying adventure sounds too intimidating for your young reader? Add in a pet hawk and a pet cheetah for even more appeal!

This is a super fun book for early readers. The fabulous illustrations always make it great for reading aloud with a group. I’d give it 5 out of 5 stars.

I received an advance PDF copy of this book for review, but all opinions are my own.

https://booksithinkyoushouldread.blog...

[Vinamrata · Rating 3 out of 5]

Apart from the beautiful illustrations, the book, more specifically the text or the storyline seemed poor. I don’t expect too much technical details from a rhyming picture book, but this one seemed disjointed. I had to read it again to try to make sense of how the hawk started talking towards the end of the book and how the boy next door had a cheetah for a pet. The words didn’t seem to flow. The illustrations are good though.

[Athina (booknotes_athina) · Rating 4 out of 5]

I received an ARC of this book via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review

This is a beautiful picture book,
It's the story of a little girl who dreamed to fly.
Through reading this book you understand that with persistence, teamwork and determination you can achieve what you are dreaming even if it looks difficult in the beginning.

[Alex Baugh · Rating 3 out of 5]

Jenny has always wanted to fly but all her attempts have so far ended in failure. Then a red-tailed hawk befriends Jenny and as he flies around, she begins to figure out how it is done. But could she invent something that would actually take-off and fly just based on what she observes?

Meanwhile, Jenny's neighbor Jude is studying his best friend Kitty, to learn all about speed and control in order to improve his skateboarding. Jude is also interested by the tiny plane Jenny has built and although it lifted off the ground, she has no way to control where the plane went and it crashed. Could Jenny and Jude put their heads together and figure out what they needed to do to actually get off the ground and control how and where Jenny's plane would fly?

If the title Fly, Fly Again makes you think of the old adage try, try again, that is not a coincidence. Jenny learns that sometimes success comes only after failure, but to never give up on her dreams. Along the way, Jenny also learns all about the mechanics of flight, thanks to teamwork and determination, as well as a cat named Kitty and a bird named Hawk. So really, how could she miss?

Fly, Fly Again! is also a wonderful way to introduce kids to some basic aeronautical concepts like lift, drift, pitch, roll and the importance of a rudder, and perhaps instilling an interest in engineering.

This book is recommended for readers age 5+
This book was sent to me by the authors and I thank them for the opportunity to read and review it.

[Carina · Rating 5 out of 5]

I received this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

The artwork is so pretty! This is a children's book that teaches them to never give up. We follow Jenny and her "brother". She invents something that isn't working properly so she has to keep working on and don't give up. It has rhymes, just like many of other children's books.
I loved it! A child would love it too, expecially is they want to be an aviator.

[Medeia Sharif · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a wonderfully illustrated picture book about persistence. With hard work, effort, a good spirit, and assistance, anything is possible. I felt the rhyme was off. I also thought the font and text sizing were plain and misplaced. Other than that, this book was enjoyable. I read this via NetGalley, courtesy of the publisher.

[Kathy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Wonderful rhyming and beautiful illustrations. Friendship, perseverance and teamwork lead to success.

[Carla · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a wonderfully illustrated story that has many layers and lessons in it. On the surface, it is a great story about perseverance and teamwork. When you look beyond that, it is a story that shows a young girl who wants to fly. She uses experimentation, investigation, trial and error and the scientific process to build an airplane with the help of her neighbour and a hawk. It is a great role to see a girl in, especially in this world of STEM and trying to get females interested in science. It is also a book that teaches about flight, historical people in flight and using the world around us to learn things. This story is written in rhyme and some of the cadence is off. I don't think it was necessary to write it in this way as there I times that I think it detracts from what is happening in the story. Overall with the whimsical illustrations and interesting story, this is a book that I enjoyed. I recommend this one to be in family and school libraries. The publisher generously provided me with a copy of this book upon request. The rating, ideas and opinions shared are my own.

[Leslie Lindsay · Rating 5 out of 5]

A clever and uplifting story of a girl named Jenny who dreams of flying...plus, the illustrations!

I fell into the rhythm of books and imagination at an early age. Like little Jenny in FLY, FLY AGAIN (January 7th Greenleaf Book Press), I was given the message, that if I work hard, I just might get to where I want to go. That's exactly what this book is about--but with a slightly different twist.

From mother-daughter duo, Katie Jaffe and Jennifer Lawson comes a darling and delightful read about the concepts of flight--lift, gravity, thrust, and drag. Plus, pitch, roll, and yaw. Little Jenny is clever and creative, and she wants to fly. Along with her neighbor friend, Jude, and a menagerie of pets, Kitty and Hawk, the pair work together to build a flying machine. FLY, FLY AGAIN is a fun story of adventure, teamwork, and perseverance that begins to lay a foundation for aerodynamics in an adorable picture book format. Seriously, these illustrations are so warm and engaging, I guarantee you'll feel transported...if not to the skies, but in your mind.

Told in a delightful rhyming verse , this charming tale will remind you a bit of the rhythm of Twas the Night Before Christmas meets 'Fancy Nancy,' with a touch of 'Curious George.' It's great for both boys and girls --and their caregivers. It's not exactly a story of character, but a message of determination. The plot is thin, but that's not necessarily a bad thing.FLY, FLY AGAIN is ideal for sharing with a young reader, ages 4-8 years and then scaffolding with extension activities ...for example, build a model airplane together, create a flying machine out of things you have at home, allow your child to explore and manipulate play objects, draw a picture, etc. These suggestions could easily have been incorporated into the book (as a reader's note at the end)...but overall, I really enjoyed this book.

FLY, FLY AGAIN brings concepts of STE(A)M to life, starting with ingenuity, perseverance, and basic household items; it's 'play' at it's best. 

For all my reviews, including author interviews, please see: www.leslielindsay.com|Always with a Book

Special thanks to the authors and PRbytheBook for this review copy. All thoughts are my own.

[A.K. Klemm · Rating 5 out of 5]

First and foremost, kiddo and I were blown away that Buzz Aldrin–THE BUZZ ALDRIN–wrote the foreword for this picture book. How cool is that? (My father, an engineer alum of the same university as Aldrin, was pretty impressed as well. Frequently, he reads my kiddo picture books and comments about how children’s publishing has “come a long way.”)

Reminiscent of The Questioneers series (of which we have every title!) by Andrea Beaty and David Roberts, Jaffe and Lawson’s new book encourages critical thinking skills, creative wonder, and diligence to pursue dreams.

Kiddo loved the story, she’s nine, and still enjoys the magic of a children’s storybook even though she’s also reading chapter books now. She’s heard me quote “Try, Try Again” her whole life and learned to read on McGuffey’s which includes the poem in its reading exercises, so there was a genuine snicker when Hawk raised his feather and included the play on words, “If at first you don’t succeed, fly, fly again!”

“It is a great book, no one can doubt that. The airplane design [in the illustrations] is amazing. But you still can’t put that many people and pets into a wagon WITH a motor,” Kiddo told me. She is now monologuing design flaws, propellor safety, and superior ways to attempt this project. I think the book has done exactly its job: spiked STEM thinking.

Fly, Fly Again is a new favorite we plan to read often.

[Janice Garey · Rating 5 out of 5]

Review Title : Try to Fly (review of Fly, Fly Again by Katie Jaffe and Jennifer Lawson)
Reviewer: Janice S. Garey
***** 5 Stars

This charming book, written in clever rhyme, will please most children and those who read to them. The title of the book, Fly, Fly Again is a word play on the proverbial quote, "If at first you don't succeed, try, try again." That thought is nicely woven into this young preschool (age 3-5) appropriate story. It will generate questions about new vocabulary which the adult can look up in a dictionary or other reference book to better explain the concepts for more curious children. The illustrations are a big help to understanding, and they are beautifully portrayed.

This book, although whimsical, is a nice introduction for the youngest serious minded children to a subject they encounter as they look into the sky and see birds and planes in flight. Caring adults will utilize this book for teachable moments when questions arise from curious young ones.

The main character is a girl, but a neighbor boy plays a big role in the story, too, so the book is for all young children who have expressed desires to do great things. The book gives a positive outlook on sticking with projects until you get the needed results.

I received a free ebook advance reader's copy through #netgalley in exchange for reading the book and posting an honest review which I have done. #flyflyagain

[Amit Verma · Rating 4 out of 5]

.It is a wonderful kids book.

It is illustrated kids book about a girl who wants to make a rocket. She wants to fly.

So with her friends, she plans to make s plane.

She tries again and again till she succeds. Her friends help her.

Story is nice and simple perfectly suited for reading by kids. Captions hav we simple vocabulary. It is easy on eyes.

Artwork is excellent.

Use of colors is very good and clarity of pictures is amazing.

All the fine details in background are visible.

I read it to my son and he enjoyed it.

It teaches value of hard work.

A very nice kids book.

I recommend it to everyone interested in reading illustrated works.

[Sharon · Rating 4 out of 5]

Greenleaf Book Group LLC and NetGalley provided me with an electronic copy of Fly, Fly Again. I was under no obligation to review this book and my opinion is freely given.

Jenny is a young girl who dreams of flying and, instead of waiting until she is older, decides to design a flying machine. As her neighbor and her pet hawk look on, will Jenny be able to take the principles that she has learned about flying to make her dreams come true?

There is a lot to like about this children's book, as it is well illustrated and depicts a young girl aspiring to make a career in a science field. I liked how the author uses principles of lift and aerodynamics, telling the story in a way that children would understand. The biggest negative to the book is the author's attempt at rhyming, as it is a detraction to the story. Fly, Fly Again would have been monumentally more effective with the story following a natural progression of words, instead of a forced rhythm. This is a charming book and would be a great addition to classroom and public libraries, as well as children's bookshelves at home.

[Cheryl · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a cute and fun read for young readers. While, the main lead Jenny, is a female. This book can be enjoyed by boys as well. Although, the reason that it features a girl is for the STEM aspect. Which consists of science, technology, engineering and mathematics. This is important because these professional career fields are mainly still male dominated. These types of STEM books are geared towards encouraging females to pursue these career fields.

I have always been interested in these four type of areas. I myself have an Electronic Engineering degree in computers science. So it is nice to see more books encouraging girls to be interested in these fields. While, I did like this book and the concept; I did feel like it could have been a bit more science focused. It briefly touched on the elements you need to help fly.

The illustrations are bright and colorful. I was reading it and from across the room my husband commented on how colorful the pages were. Young readers will like this book but may need some adult assistance reading.

[Donna Maguire · Rating 3 out of 5]

Review to be added to Amazon UK and US on 7th January 2020 - publication day!

After reading the blurb and the introduction I expected a little more from this book.

The story was good in that it showed children to keep trying and you will succeed if you are determined, but the layout for me wasn't great and the words overlapped some of the images and it made neither them, nor the image behind it clear.

I also would have preferred it if the book rhymed throughout not just here and there too as it would have made it a better read. It is such a shame as the book had real promise but it is just 3 stars from me.

[Jill Steeley · Rating 4 out of 5]

Determination and teamwork help young Jennifer realize her life-long dream of flying. This picture book introduces elementary-aged kids to some basic aeronautical engineering terms. Astronaut Buzz Aldrin wrote the forward. Jennifer Tammie Lyon’s delightfully creative illustrations add the perfect touch to Fly, Fly Again. A portion of the proceeds from this book will be donated to UNICEF and Buzz Aldrin Ventures. Aside from just a few rhythmic bobbles in this rhyming story, Mother-daughter team, Katie Jaffe and Jennifer Lawson, wrote an entertaining tale.

[Marla at the Library · Rating 5 out of 5]

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for a free e-arc for review.

This was an adorable, simple story. The characters are few, but they work together to reach their goals.

[Lisa]

This children’s picture book has a charming rhyme scheme to introduce concepts of flight in a fanciful manner. Jenny acts on her interest in flight by observing nature, learning facts, and teaming up with her friend to design and create a flying machine. The authors have used simple, memorable language and cooperative characters to promote the lessons described above. The illustrations are bright, colorful, and attractive and show the story along with the words.

Jenny watches a hawk to see how natural flight works in birds, and then experiments with craft materials and toys to devise a flying machine. As she continues to figure out what makes flight work, she “falls” into her neighbor boy Jude’s yard. Jude shares her interest and together they work on a controlled flight and even bigger dreams of space.

Charmingly illustrated with exotic animal friends, Fly, Fly Again is a good story to introduce basic flight vocabulary and teach young children the importance of dreaming big, teamwork, and persistence.

[Andréa]

Note: I received a digital review copy of this book from the publisher through NetGalley.

[Sharon · Rating 4 out of 5]

Jenny, a female, is the inventor in this story. She wants to learn to fly and sets out to figure out how to do it. Her first attempt ends when her inability steer her plane causes it to crash. Back to the drawing board. This time she takes the help from a friendly hawk. Her neighbor, Jude, also assists, and together they figure out how to create a model that they can steer. There is now a push in schools to encourage girls to become interested in STEM which consists of science, technology, engineering and mathematics. These professional career fields are still male dominated. This book provides a positive role model.

The illustrations are charming, bright and colorful. There are words that younger children may not be familiar with - what a great teaching moment to help them become familiar with new vocabulary.

I received an ARC from NetGalley and the publisher in exchange for a review.

[Anna · Rating 3 out of 5]

I really enjoyed the illustrations in this book and want to go back and spend more time looking at them and picking out all the little details. The story itself, however, just didn't seem to work. I think the author had big intentions, but she didn't quite manage to pull it off. The words didn't quite flow the way I felt they should have, and it seems quite a stretch that the reader will learn anything about the basics of aeronautical engineering.

But I will be going back for those illustrations. 3 stars just for those.

[Jennifer · Rating 4 out of 5]

Absolutely gorgeous illustrations accompany rhyming text to tell the story of a young girl who dreams of flying. Despite multiple setbacks, she never gives up and we get a fun story about friendship, perseverance, and friendship. I will definitely be using this one in my preschool story times.

Disclaimer: I received a free electronic copy of this book from the publisher through Netgalley.com in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

[Marla · Rating 5 out of 5]

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for a free e-arc for review.

This was an adorable, simple story. The characters are few, but they work together to reach their goals.

[Heather · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a great book told in rhyme. I really enjoyed it because it was about a girl who persists and doesn’t give up! I love books that foster a growth mindset in kids. Her friend joins her and together they create something spectacular!