When Grandfather Flew

Starred review from May 10, 2021
In this elegiac story about love and loss, a youngest grandchild becomes his grandfather’s eyes when the older man begins to lose his sight. Milo is “not a talker,” explains his older sister Emma, who narrates, but he pays attention when Grandpa catalogs the birds he loves, the bald eagle chief among them: “The eagle sees the full sky, he sees the world!” Grandpa says. In loose watercolor, pastel, and graphite art, Sheban (Three Squeezes) captures the grace and power of the birds Grandpa admires, and conveys the grandeur of the rural landscape that the family occupies. When Grandpa’s sight becomes more limited, Milo turns out to have been listening carefully. “What’s that bird?” asks Grandpa. “I can hear him in the fruit trees, but I can’t see him.” “Cedar waxwing,” Milo promptly replies. And it’s Milo who helps his family understand what has happened when his grandfather isn’t there anymore. MacLachlan (Wondrous Rex) creates deeply sympathetic characters in a few sentences, and invites readers to share in the lives of a family nurtured by the natural world—and comforted by it in their grief. Ages 4–8.

November 5, 2021
Grades K-3 In this reflection on life and love, MacLachlan presents a story about a grandfather's journey from health to being cared for by loved ones until he passes away. His young granddaughter, Emma, narrates, reminiscing about her grandfather's love of birds and how he passed that love on to her and her little brother, Milo. She remembers how he taught them to recognize birds through binoculars and later, when he had lost his sight, by their songs. Emma also recounts how when Nurse Leah came to stay with them, she helped move Grandfather's bed to the window near the bird feeder and came to love the birds their grandfather described. Sheban's soft-edged, textured illustrations--created with watercolor, pastel, and graphite--use an earth-toned palette with splashes of blue that add a calm pleasantness to the story. The resulting tale is a gentle one of love and sadness, but it also contains hope that another, possibly better, life exists after death. This sentiment is beautifully echoed in Milo's belief that their grandfather has become the magnificent bald eagle seen soaring above the family, viewing the world from the sky.

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January 7, 2022

Gr 2-6-Lovingly called Birdman by his family for his appreciation of birds, Grandfather enjoys teaching everyone about the winged creatures that visit his property. "I love their songs and the way they fly. The brisk wing beat of the sharp-shinned hawk, the hovering kestrel, and my favorite bird of all, the high-soaring bald eagle." Throughout the story the family, who is white, is truly schooled in everything regarding birds. As grandfather ages and his eyesight worsens, he relies on his family to describe the birds to him or to simply listen to the song of the bird to identify it. As his days grow short, he still enjoys his birds. An elegant telling, combined with beautifully rendered illustrations create a naturalistic and positive glimpse of life and death. VERDICT An excellent book to teach appreciation of our elders, as well as a study in grief and hope.-Tracy Cronce

Copyright 2022 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

September 1, 2021
Siblings Emma, Aidan, and Milo adore their grandfather, an avid bird-watcher. Their grandmother had loved not birds but horses, so much so that she wanted to be a horse in her next life. "What will you be?" Emma asks Grandfather. "I'll let you know when the time comes," he replies. Milo, the youngest, doesn't talk much but has a special connection with Grandfather -- he sees what Grandfather sees, hears what he hears, and learns about the birds he most loves, especially the "high-soaring bald eagle." When the children come home from school one day, Grandfather, whose health had been failing, is not there. Milo wonders, "But where is Grandfather?" He runs outside, just as a bald eagle soars above. "Grandfather flies!" exclaims the child. Sheban's watercolor, pastel, and graphite illustrations bring a fuzzily textured look to the pages, an appropriately soft treatment for a remembrance of a loved one. Text and illustrations interplay beautifully, as in the quiet image of a sad Milo being hugged when he discovers that Grandfather has gone. A sensitive portrayal of family, love, life, and death presented in a child-friendly manner. Dean Schneider

(Copyright 2021 by The Horn Book, Incorporated, Boston. All rights reserved.)

Starred review from June 1, 2021
A child believes a cherished relative has returned after death in the form of the man's favorite bird. Emma recounts becoming, along with older brother Aidan, an avid bird-watcher under their beloved grandfather's tutelage. However, it's Milo, the family's youngest, who's most attuned to Grandfather and his keen understanding of birds. Milo just gets Grandfather's deep respect for his favorite bird, the bald eagle, and its command of the skies. When Grandfather loses his eyesight, his grandchildren and nurse help him continue with his hobby, describing birds they see while he names them. Then tragedy occurs. Returning from school one day, the children realize Grandfather's gone. Suddenly, instinctively, Milo runs outdoors, calling to his parents and siblings, and breathlessly points to an eagle flying overhead, observing all it surveys--including the family. "Grandfather flies!" Milo shouts, then watches in awe as it flies away. This poignant, tender tale, economically told, brims with love and kindness, not to mention respect--for elders and for nature--and is sure to evoke empathy among readers and listeners. Kids who've lost close family members may feel reassured that memories of their loved ones will persist in a sweet manner. The gentle, textured illustrations, created with watercolors, pastels, and pencil, are lovely, depicting the various birds named herein with colorful majesty. All family members have pale skin. Endpapers include grayscale sketches of the seven birds named in the story. Warm, calming, affectionate, quietly soaring. (Picture book. 4-8)

COPYRIGHT(2021) Kirkus Reviews, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.

July 1, 2021
Siblings Emma, Aidan, and Milo adore their grandfather, an avid bird-watcher. Their grandmother had loved not birds but horses, so much so that she wanted to be a horse in her next life. "What will you be?" Emma asks Grandfather. "I'll let you know when the time comes," he replies. Milo, the youngest, doesn't talk much but has a special connection with Grandfather -- he sees what Grandfather sees, hears what he hears, and learns about the birds he most loves, especially the "high-soaring bald eagle." When the children come home from school one day, Grandfather, whose health had been failing, is not there. Milo wonders, "But where is Grandfather?" He runs outside, just as a bald eagle soars above. "Grandfather flies!" exclaims the child. Sheban's watercolor, pastel, and graphite illustrations bring a fuzzily textured look to the pages, an appropriately soft treatment for a remembrance of a loved one. Text and illustrations interplay beautifully, as in the quiet image of a sad Milo being hugged when he discovers that Grandfather has gone. A sensitive portrayal of family, love, life, and death presented in a child-friendly manner.

(Copyright 2021 by The Horn Book, Incorporated, Boston. All rights reserved.)