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Overview
At his new school or on the soccer field, all everyone wants to know is why Tomasito is in a wheelchair. His father gives Tomasito a new pet to make him smile, but this bird is a little bit different. Can Tomasito's featherless friend teach him that there's more than one way to fly? Will the cheers Tomasito hears on the sidelines ever be for him?
Award-winning author and poet Juan Felipe Herrera scores yet again with this sparkling story of friendship and self-empowerment. The brilliant acrylic paintings by Ernesto Cuevas, Jr., burst off the page with sheer joy.
Although Tomasito's spina bifida keeps him in a wheelchair, where he often feels as confined as his flightless and featherless pet bird, he discovers that he can feel free when he is on the soccer field.
Synopsis
At his new school or on the soccer field, all everyone wants to know is why Tomasito is in a wheelchair. His father gives Tomasito a new pet to make him smile, but this bird is a little bit different. Can Tomasito's featherless friend teach him that there's more than one way to fly? Will the cheers Tomasito hears on the sidelines ever be for him?
Award-winning author and poet Juan Felipe Herrera scores yet again with this sparkling story of friendship and self-empowerment. The brilliant acrylic paintings by Ernesto Cuevas, Jr., burst off the page with sheer joy.
Veronica Betancourt - Children's Literature
This is a story of a boy who gets his wings. Tomasito is an elementary-schooler who feels different because his spina bifida requires him to use a wheelchair. He has trouble making friends in his new town, and grows tired of not being able to do what his classmates can. His father gives him Featherless, a pet bird, which should comfort Tomasito but, instead, it emphasizes Tomasito's difference. Yet as Tomasito begins to test his mettle on the soccer field, and realize that he may be able to play with the others, he gains hope for Featherless. The bird begins to represent Tomasito's quest for himself, and he tries to change the bird as he changes himself. Not only is the story of Tomasito on the soccer field appealing, but the boy's featherless sidekick also piques the reader's curiosity as a parallel to Tomasito's own situation. This book has a compelling story of finding one's own way that will entertain readers, regardless of background. It can also serve as a beginning to a discussion of the issues of the differently-abled. Cuevas's illustrations are bright and friendly and sure to hold interest. 2004, Children's Book Press, Ages 6 to 8.
Editorials
Children's Literature
This is a story of a boy who gets his wings. Tomasito is an elementary-schooler who feels different because his spina bifida requires him to use a wheelchair. He has trouble making friends in his new town, and grows tired of not being able to do what his classmates can. His father gives him Featherless, a pet bird, which should comfort Tomasito but, instead, it emphasizes Tomasito's difference. Yet as Tomasito begins to test his mettle on the soccer field, and realize that he may be able to play with the others, he gains hope for Featherless. The bird begins to represent Tomasito's quest for himself, and he tries to change the bird as he changes himself. Not only is the story of Tomasito on the soccer field appealing, but the boy's featherless sidekick also piques the reader's curiosity as a parallel to Tomasito's own situation. This book has a compelling story of finding one's own way that will entertain readers, regardless of background. It can also serve as a beginning to a discussion of the issues of the differently-abled. Cuevas's illustrations are bright and friendly and sure to hold interest. 2004, Children's Book Press, Ages 6 to 8.—Veronica Betancourt