Fly Away Home (1991)

 Fly Away Home by Eve Bunting (1991) is a story about a homeless family. Andrew and his dad live in an airport. Dad designs each day to avoid notice by airport security. It's 1991, so airport security is a couple of men in blue uniforms, not a plethora of security cameras, metal detectors, and x-ray equipment. Andrew introduces us to other people who live in the airport. Those  who get noticed get caught. He shares his life of blending in with the crowds and hustling for some change. Ronald Himler's paintings capture the sadness and frustration of being trapped in this desperate life.

This resource is a complete rewrite of the one I published in 2021. This revision is exclusively about the people. I do not reference the little brown bird or ponder the larger issue of housing. The purpose of this lesson is to meet the homeless.    

This book is read aloud online by Tara LaPorte.

My Picture Book Talk lesson for this story is here. 

The Easter Egg Artists (1976)

 The Easter Egg Artists  by Adrienne Adams (1976) celebrates the energy and creativity of youth. The first page sets up a subtle drama: will Orson help his parents with painting the hundreds of Easter eggs they decorate each year? As his parents examine his unfinished flower design on an easel in their studio, Orson is playing outside. Father Abbot labels him an immature rabbit. Mother Abbott implies Orson is motivated by recognition. But the story shows that a different kind of task holds Orson’s attention. When he stands on the tail of a plane, on the roof of a house, and at the side of a bridge,  Orson’s perseverance is admirable. He is enthusiastic, not about flower designs, but about his own comic Easter eggs.  And they’re so popular, his parents must order hundreds more eggs for him to decorate.

Why does the story end with Orson painting a flagpole? Is it because he has grown up, as his parents suggest? Or has Orson discovered joy in tasks that better suit his high energy level and creative vision? 

This book is read aloud online by Laurie on Safari.

My Picture Book Talk lesson for this story is here.