Zephyr Takes Flight

PreS-Gr 1–Zephyr loves everything about airplanes. She loves to make them out of junk, she loves drawing pictures of them, she loves playing with them, and one day she hopes to fly one of her very own. Throughout the book, the child tries to get her grandma, father, and mother to play with her and her creations, but they are all too busy. This leads her to play, quite rambunctiously, on her own and make a giant mess. Zephyr is sent to her room as punishment and discovers a secret passage to a remarkable land filled with airplanes. From there her fantastical flight begins. Light’s story is engaging, but the true star of this book is the art showing Zephyr’s sadness or determination. Another aspect of the book that really stands out is its take on gender roles. In addition to it being a girl who is fascinated by airplanes, Zephyr’s father is in the kitchen cooking, wearing an apron, and her mother is in a woodshop creating footstools. The combination of a strong-willed girl and imaginative art that soars makes this one a worthy choice.–Lora Van Marel, Orland Park Public Library, IL