Willa and Wade and the Way-Up-There

May 1, 2024
Grounded personalities are curious about how to soar. Willa the ostrich and Wade the penguin experiment with different means of achieving flight. Maybe they just need a running start? Or perhaps they need to be light on their feet. Some of their attempts end in a crash, but they always bounce back, undeterred. Sarhangpour depicts the pair with sparkles in their eyes and hearts fluttering around them--it's evident they're set on attaining their goal. After a day of attempts, they pause to reflect on what they've managed to accomplish: They had fun and helped each other. (Wade, a seasoned swimmer, gave Willa a lesson on how to float, while Willa gave an exhausted Wade a ride as they headed to the top of a cliff.) By the book's conclusion, whether Willa and Wade will ever truly fly remains unclear, but they'll definitely keep trying and learning together. Each page of this graphic novel contains one or two panels; anything the flightless friends say or do becomes the centerpiece of that page, sometimes against a blank background. The cartoonish art is simple and clear, and Willa and Wade's friendship and optimistic spirit come through loudly: The two never assign blame for a failed idea and are always open to each other's suggestions. A friendship tale that soars. (Graphic early reader. 5-7)

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June 1, 2024

PreS-Gr 2-Two flightless birds have no shortage of follies in their mission to launch themselves into the "way-up-there." Thorough thinkers Willa (an ostrich) and Wade (a penguin) use a lot of determination and a bit of scientific trial-and-error to get some air. The two friends hatch many plans: running for velocity, ballet for lightness, pogo sticks for lift, and sliding for speed. What they realize through their process of elimination is that rather than shifting approach, they need to shift their expectations. In fact, any critter feathered or furred could fly for a bit with the right set of conditions-as long as there is a safe place to land. The narrative is a bit of a trope, but the graphic novel format puts a fresh spin on a familiar story. Sarhangpour's illustrations juxtapose uber-cute characters with a subdued palette, and by avoiding cloying colors, she broadens this title's appeal to the full gamut of emergent readers. Undoubtedly, many will look forward to reading more of Willa and Wade's adventures. VERDICT Early elementary readers will delight in Willa and Wade's high jinks, while grown-ups will appreciate the underlying lesson of resilience. A solid addition to school and public collections.-Sarah Simpson

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