Review of The Year We Learned to Fly by Jacqueline Woodson

Authors

Rachel Crane, Cedarville UniversityFollow

Publisher

Nancy Paulsen Books

City

New York, New York, United States of America

Date of Publication

2022

ISBN

9780399545542

Date of Review

2023

Disciplines

Library and Information Science | Modern Literature

Keywords

Children's literature, reviews, African American history, family

Review

On a rainy Spring day, a brother and sister must remain indoors. Their grandmother encourages them to use their minds and imagine, saying that someone at some point also experienced boredom. The siblings listen to her and imagine themselves flying over a now-colorful city. In Summer, when the siblings fight, their grandmother encourages them to fly again. They do so and leave their anger behind them. Autumn comes, and the siblings feel lonely and trapped in their dark bedrooms. The sister recalls how her grandmother learned to fly from their ancestors. Though physically enslaved and trapped, said ancestors used their minds and imaginations to fly. During Winter, the family moves to a new neighborhood, where the other children avoid them. The siblings remember their grandmother’s words, and their example encourages others to fly as well. Reflecting the title, the story journeys through the four seasons and captures that journey through the artwork. The illustrations are colorful and eye-catching, and the author does a wonderful job developing the main character. Woodson also tastefully handles the topic of slavery, making it known yet appropriate for a young audience. Since the story focuses on a grandmother encouraging her grandchildren, the story may best serve parents who read to their children.

Highly Recommended Rachel Crane, Centennial Library Intern, Cedarville University

Recommended Citation

Crane, Rachel, "Review of The Year We Learned to Fly by Jacqueline Woodson" (2023). Library Intern Book Reviews. 351.
https://digitalcommons.cedarville.edu/intern_book_reviews/351

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