Carrie's Flight

by Lois Wickstrom, Francie Mion (Contributor)

Carrie's Grandma left four mysterious boxes in a closet marked: KEEP. Wandas, Fascinator, Dowse, and Feathers. These treasures help Carrie feel closer to Grandma. There's magic in love. And in the starlings they watch together.

28 pages, Paperback

Published March 10, 2020

Reviews

[Nila (digitalcreativepages) · Rating 5 out of 5]

Carrie's flight is a fun children's book which caught the streams of my imagination and made me want to fly also. The story is short and sweet, it would appeal to all children between 6 and 10 years. It is a book of hope and happiness.

The authors, story by Lois Wickstrom and art by Francie Mion, have done a fabulous job with their storytelling and illustrations. A grandchild opens a box of possibilities in the closet and finds all her dreams coming true.

The best part of this story which captured my heart was the love between grandma and her grandchild. There was a deep bond and immense love between them.

The ending of the book had history about flock of birds known as starlings. I hadn't know anything about them, so that was quite informative.

A great children's book, well recommended

[Jenni · Rating 4 out of 5]

Carrie's Flight is a sweet fun filled children's story. It is filled with beautiful illustrations that bring the story to life. In true Lois fashion it is not just a story it is also teaches you something and, in this case, it is birds and flight.
Children of all ages will love this tale of a young girl Carrie who finds antique wings. Just thinking about all the dreams, they could imagine when reading about flying. I mean who hasn’t dreamt of flying.
This magical tale showcases the love between a grandmother and her granddaughter.
I read this to my grandsons who are five and three and yes, they now want their own set of wings!
A great book to gift to others and especially this time of year.

[Leslie aka StoreyBook Reviews · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book takes a young girl's mind and love for science to a new level. Carrie loves birds and has spent some time watching them with her grandmother. Turns out, there might be another reason why they have this attraction to birds - a set of wings that lets Carrie fly with the Starlings.

This book will encourage children to investigate science, birds, and nature. It will also fuel their imagination and fill them with wonder about how birds are able to fly.  

The interaction between Carrie and her grandmother is sweet and shows the strength of their bond.  While they may not live close by, they chat via computer which is a testament to the family bond.

The illustrations are beautiful and while I have a Kindle Oasis everything was black and white, I can imagine on an eReader or computer that the colors would be very vivid and draw a young child into the story even more.

There is also a write up about Starlings at the end of the book that was educational.

We give this 5 paws up.

[Nicole Tipps thompson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Carrie's Flight" by Lois Wickstrom is a captivating tale that effortlessly intertwines the magic of familial love and the wonder of childhood imagination. When Carrie discovers a set of antique wings belonging to her Grandma, a whimsical journey begins to unfold. The four mysterious boxes Grandma left behind—Wandas, Fascinator, Dowse, and Feathers—become the keys to unraveling a deeper connection and understanding of life's mysteries. Through Carrie's determination and creativity, the story beautifully teaches about the transformative power of love and the enduring bonds that transcend the boundaries of life and death.

Wickstrom's storytelling is both poignant and enchanting, with starlings playing a symbolic role that adds a touch of natural beauty and wonder to the narrative. "Carrie's Flight" is a heartfelt exploration of the magical moments that exist in the ordinary, reminding readers of the extraordinary power of love that continues to soar beyond the physical realm. This five-star journey not only captures the essence of childhood innocence and familial ties but also delicately imparts profound lessons about life's transitions, making it a truly enriching read for all ages.

[S. Jeyran Main · Rating 5 out of 5]

Carries Flight is a children’s book written about a girl young girl named Carrie. She has a powerful bond and relationship with her grandmother and learns that she, too, like her grandma, has the ability and magic to fly. As her grandma teaches her how to put the wings on and dare to fly with the starlings, the story begins taking you in their journey.

The story discusses how the flock of birds were known as starlings and gave the ability to fly. It intrigues the young mind into researching more about birds and interests them in science.



The relationship between Carrie and her grandma is another beautiful thing for teaching children about love and the ability to trust and be close to their grandmas.



The literature was friendly and easy to read. Some words were emphasized on and highlighted in bold or written with different font just to have a fresh feel to it. I found that novel as well.



I would recommend this book to families and parents that are looking for educational books. The work is also a beautiful way to gift someone special.

[Megan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Typically Wickstrom's stories have a very overt lesson to be learned in them. This one takes a little longer to come to the surface. This is not one of my favorites from Wickstrom and it's because I think that what she's trying to convey to her readers isn't overt enough. I understand that she is tackling the IDEA of loosing a loved one; however, it's not clear and I think it may be hard for children to grasp that concept with the way that it's been conveyed here. However, I think Wickstrom has opened the door for parents to talk about the loss of loved ones with this book and that may have been her intention all along. I always love Wickstrom's combination of nature and science and learning into her life lessons. And per usual, the illustrations are wonderfully done. This book is just not as whimsical as her others (and dealing with the topic it does, it makes sense) so that could be why it just doesn't catch my eye like most of her other books do. But like I said earlier, I think this book can open up a conversation about a very difficult topic.

[Jennifer · Rating 5 out of 5]

"Carrie's Flight" by Lois Wickstrom is a heartwarming and magical children's book that beautifully explores the bond between generations and the power of love. The story follows young Carrie, who discovers a set of antique wings belonging to her Grandma. Determined to reunite with her Grandma, who has moved across town, Carrie embarks on an enchanting adventure to make the wings fly and reach Grandma's new house.


What truly shines in "Carrie's Flight" is the emphasis on the power of love. Carrie's determination to reach her Grandma and the bond they share is beautifully portrayed. The shared moments of watching starlings together create a magical atmosphere, further highlighting the importance of love and connection between family members.

The illustrations in the book are delightful, adding an extra layer of charm to the story. They effectively capture the emotions and the magic of Carrie's journey, enhancing the overall reading experience.

[Tausha Treadway · Rating 5 out of 5]

Carrie’s Flight (Grandma’s Closet) by Lois Wickstrom. This has quickly become my favorite children's author and my 5 year old nephew agrees. This book is a lovely description of being so close to a grandparent and trying to keep that relationship close. This books teaches that you can keep memories alive by things that make you think of that person. When Carrie's grandma moves across town she is very lonely without her. Carrie and her grandma used to watch the starlings together so when she sees some she calls her grandma and then she finds some wings in a box that was left by her grandmother. Can she figure out how to fly to her grandmothers? This book teaches you about lots of different birds and the bond between a child and grandparent. All of this authors books have a life lesson in them and the pictures are always amazing as well. Another 5 star read!

[Angela · Rating 3 out of 5]

3 Stars

Carrie’s Flight is the first book in the Grandma’s Closet’ series by Lois Wickstrom. It is an interesting story, with a bit of adventure, a touch of drama, and imagination.
Grandma has some interesting things stored in her closet. What does Carrie find?
I loved the cover illustration, but was a bit disappointed to find that the ‘inside’ illustrations are not the same type/style. The inner illustrations, although whimsical- don’t draw or hold your attention like the cover picture does. The cover picture made me want to find out what happens- but the others were a bit lacking- in my opinion. A cute story though.
Grandma’s Closet series consists of (so far):
-Carries Flight (Book #1)
-The Round Box (Book #2)
-Magic Wanda (Book #3)
-Treasure Hunt (Book #4)
Happy reading!

[Dawn Daughenbaugh · Rating 5 out of 5]

5 Stars
Carrie’s Flight (Grandma’s Closet) by Lois Wickstrom

Carrie’s Flight is the first book in the Grandma’s Closet is a wonderfully written children’s book that children of any age will enjoy. My son and I are huge fans of this author and this one is definitely one of our favorites yet. This is a story about a young girl named Carrie who finds a pair of antique wings. They belong to her grandmother who now lives across town. Can she figure put how to get the wings to fly? Get ready for an adventure as we follow along with Carrie. Will she figure out the magic pf love? I highly recommend reading this cute book to find out what happens next. My son and I can’t wait to read more from this Author.

[Christine · Rating 5 out of 5]

Carrie’s Flight
By: Lois Wickstrom

I feel like everytime I read a Lois Wickstrom book, I say that it is one of my favorites. And it’s true - every book I read is well written for children with wonderful pictures. This book is another wonderful story. This book gently tackles the idea of losing a loved one. It looks at how a fantastic bond between two people can transcend both life and death. I think this book would be great for children who are dealing with the loss of a loved one and would also be a good book to begin a conversation about loss. This book has a little more of a specific audience than other books by Lois Wickstrom, but I do feel that this book is so well written for those purposes and I definitely recommend it.

[Jill Smith · Rating 5 out of 5]

Being a Grandmother, I could relate to this book, that I truly love. If I downsized and moved, I would love to leave behind boxes of treasures for my granddaughter to touch, so she could feel close to me. It would be magical to be able to leave feathers that she could put on and fly to me. These are the dreams we all share that make this book emotive and its beautiful illustrations by Francie Mion so delightful. I also enjoyed the educational aspect at the end of the book about Starlings. I'm certain that many youngsters are taken to the sky, wearing imagination wings, when they read this book.

[Elizabeth · Rating 4 out of 5]

My son and I read a lot of books by this author, and we usually love them. Carrie's flight was not a favorite of his. He hadn't heard of a lot of the birds mentioned, and didn't know how to read their names. I think the story was a little too much of a mix of reality and imagination, and the lines were too blurred for his practical thinking 7 year old mind. I enjoyed the mixed fonts, to help bring focus to certain words along the story. I like that the Grandma and Carrie stayed connected with video chat, and could still have their special time together, when they were across town from each other. It was a cute story, with good illustrations, just not one of our favorites.

[Shannen · Rating 5 out of 5]

My family and I always love it when we pick up a book from this author because we know we’re going to learn something. This book focuses on the beautiful starlings and the generational bond that Carrie shares with her grandmother. We especially enjoyed the education about starlings because their evening murmurations are a sight to see. I loved the illustrations as well as the way the font changed with certain words. My kids liked the way the words looked how they sounded which was really cool! I highly recommend sharing this book with the young ones in your life to show the magic of love and starlings.

[Jennifer P Ramos · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a beautiful story! Another great story told by Ms. Wickstrom. I’ve read quite a few of her books already and love each one. Wickstrom has the amazing ability of creating a cute family story as well as making the reading experience a learning one too! This story tells of the amazing bond between grandmother and granddaughter and one of their favorite pastimes. When grandmother moves away, her granddaughter, Carrie, shares her memories and finds new ways to solidify their bonding over Starling bird watching. As a mother and former teacher, this book is great for a gift as well as one to share within the classrooms.

[Shelly · Rating 5 out of 5]

Carrie found a pair of antique wings that used to be her Grandmothers. I found it fascinating how the story built around the movement of birds in flight. This story was about starlings. It was also about sharing memories with generational memories. Every book this author writes is always fascinating because there is a little tidbit in there about family. This is a science learning book about Starlings. I found out some new tidbits about Starlings in the information section included at the end of the story. A beautiful story that I recommend for any home with children.

[Kerry Baker · Rating 4 out of 5]

Each review I leave for this author feels like it could be a applied to every book we have read, they are all that good. And this book is just another in a long line that has been a success in our house. Both of my kids loved the idea of having wings and really enjoyed seeing the images in this book of Carrie and her wings. And the information teaching them about birds created a really interesting narrative.
As with all of her books, this one is fun, educational, entertaining and thoroughly enjoyable. We have already read it multiple tines and I am sure will read it many more.

[Bobbi Wagner · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed reading this children;s book. This is an author that enjoys reading her children’s books for sure. This is a story about Carrie and how she finds a pair of antique wings. Will she be able to figure out how to make them fly? Will she learn the magic of love? This is a cute story that would be great for any child. It is a story that has great illustrations. I enjoyed how the author made the story come to life through them. It is an easy story to read. I highly recommend this children’s book.

[Ayla Phipps · Rating 5 out of 5]

Always such beautifully illustrated books with interesting, and unique stories. Carrie loves to watch the Starlings murmuration fly high in the sky with her grandma. Pulling out a box of her grandmas that has feathers on it, Carrie gets the biggest surprise of her life. A moment she will never forget, and she joins the starlings in the sky. The added history at the back of the book was perfect as my seven-year-old son asked me about the starlings at the end of the book and it was an added little story for him to understand why they came to North America and how.

[Lorralei Hoerner · Rating 4 out of 5]

4 Stars 🌟🌟🌟🌟

Enjoyable and cute story that takes you on a journey filled high in the sky with Carrie. I know I would love to fly and have my very own pair of wings. When Carrie finds a box of feathers in her house that her grandma left, what can happen when you do have your own very pair of wings? Trying so hard and wanting to be with the starlings....Carrie takes flight.

Wonderful story that can be enjoyed at any age. My great nieces, great nephew and I always look forward to Lois' stories.

[Julie · Rating 5 out of 5]

The starlings are migrating and it's one of Carrie and her grandmother's bonding moments. They love to sit and watch them together. This year, grandma is living across town though. Carrie finds a box marked "feathers" in the hall closet and just as she's about to investigate the box's contents, grandma calls on a video chat. Carrie and her grandmother are able to share their joy of the starlings together afterall.

Super cute read! The author includes some historical background on starlings at the end of the book for further reading and research.

[La Toya · Rating 5 out of 5]

Carrie’s Flight(Grandma’s Closet) by Lois Wickstrom is a fun book that stokes the imagination and also teaches a lesson. When Carrie’s grandmother moves away she finds a box with antique wings. Carrie gets to engage in trying to make the wings work. In this story, we get to see a beautiful bond between grandmother and grandchild. We also get a lesson on birds. This book has beautiful illustrations. My sons loved reading this and imagining what it would be like to fly. This is a heartwarming story that had me missing my grandmother.

[Anna Hirsch · Rating 4 out of 5]

Carrie’s Flight (Grandma’s Closet) by Lois Wickstrom
4 Stars

This is a wonderful, imaginative story about a girl’s love for her grandmother. Carrie’s grandma moved across town and Carrie feels lonely without her. They used to always watch the starlings together. When Carrie sees the birds in flight, she calls her grandma. Finding a set of wings in a box, the adventure begins. It’s a sweet story filled with colourful illustrations that will capture a child’s attention. Like in all this author’s books, the back is filled with lots of information to teach children about these birds.

[Trisha]

I had an exceptionally close relationship with my grandma, and I was lucky enough not to lose her until I was old enough to understand death and what happened. However, if it had occurred when I was younger, my younger self would have loved this story and telling of how a grandma’s love is endless and a bond that can never be broken, even by death. This story book truly lays the foundation for children with the story telling and art as well as metaphors with death, birds, and flight. This was a lovely read and highly recommend it for any children going through loss.

[Betsy Melano · Rating 5 out of 5]

A fun and cute story of a girl and her grandmother. When grandma moves to the other side of town, Carrie misses all the fun she used to have with her grandma. Of course grandma left her some things to help Carrie imagine fly! What I really liked about this book is the imagination that Carrie has while watching the starlings fly all over the sky. I hope that someday I can share fun imagination moments with my future grandkids.

[Caralee · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have read many books by this author and once again I was not let down. I just love how she is able to bring a child's imagination to life and also aid in their learning. The characters are very relatable and thought provoking. I like how she is able to bring learning to a simplified platform where kids can not only enjoy but also grow. I really wish my own children were young enough for these books. I would definitely recommend this author to anyone with young kids.

[Carrie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Most kids think about flying at one point and this book feeds into that sweet fantasy. Who wouldn’t want to fly with the birds? The story of her grandmother’s wings and how they are passed down through the family is sweet and it is nice to see they have a special bond. I love the end has a history and facts about starlings to teach children.

[Kat Mellon · Rating 4 out of 5]

Carrie's Flight by Lois Wickstrom was such a cute book! My girls loved it and thought it was so amazing that Carrie was able to fly. They were hooked the whole time. I also loved the information that Wickstrom gave on the starlings at the end of the story. Overall, very easy to read, really a cute and fun story your children will love.

[Tanya · Rating 5 out of 5]

Starling migration, missing a Grandma, finding wings to fly. This is a beautifully written story. Something that is special about this book is the use of different fonts to show motion and definition in the book - it makes the reader feel the story in a different way than just the same font throughout. Another great Wickstrom book!

[Hannah · Rating 5 out of 5]

Lois Wickstrom is super amazing. Every book I have read by her, I have truly enjoyed. This one was was no different🥰 I feel like I always learn something from reading them🤣 me a old lady learning something new. Also like what she did to the words to make them stand out more. The Fact that starlings can mimic cell phones is pretty cool lol. I look forward to more from this fantastic author 🥰