Flying Eagle

Children's Literature - Cathi I. White

Father eagle must feed his baby. He hunts and hunts and hunts until he is very tired; however, he cannot stop until he has found food or his baby will die. As father soars across the African sky, readers will see beautiful illustrated pictures of the gorgeous sunset, hippos, crocodiles, lions, zebras, and even a cobra! The anxious father encounters many animals, but not one is his prey. As he keeps searching for food, he has to dodge a hunter's bow and fight against the darkening sky. Finally, he is able to spy a bird that he can call dinner. He is relieved to carry his prey home to the hungry baby. This simple, yet wonderful book shows the interesting hunt of the eagle. More information about the majestic eagle is included in the back of the book. In addition, there are details about the Serengeti National Park in Africa and other resources to find out more about eagles and other wildlife. This educational book would be excellent in a science classroom. Reviewer: Cathi I. White

School Library Journal

Gr 1-3

"Scanning, seeking,/east and west./Hunt continues,/cannot rest." Terse poetic lines sketch the hunting efforts of an African tawny eagle as he nears the end of a tiring day. Needing food for his hungry chick, he encounters hippos and crocodiles, a cobra and dik-diks, zebras, kudu, and more before he has a close call with the arrow of a poacher. As night falls, a weaver bird finally loses the battle and becomes supper for the chirping baby. Reflecting the sunset and evening hours of the eagle's search, Ray's watercolors place the various animals in soft focus against the "Blazing sunset,/crimson sky," (really orange here), as well as deepening shades of blue. Some dramatic views of the eagle are paired with less-distinct impressions of the other animals in the sweeping spreads. Focusing on the eagle's need to hunt and feed its young, the text never names a location, but concluding notes describe the Serengeti National Park where the animals live, the activities of poachers there, and further aspects of the tawny eagle's behavior. An additional purchase that works nicely for reading aloud and introducing African wildlife.-Margaret Bush, Simmons College, Boston

Kirkus Reviews

"Tired hunter, / must succeed. / Baby hungry, / mouth to feed." In this serenade to the Serengeti a tawny eagle sets out in search of food for his chick. Poised gracefully against a brilliant sunset sky in Ray's Impressionistic, semi-abstract illustrations, the eagle soars over river and plain, hippos and crocodiles, a pride of lions on the prowl and a herd of zebras. At last, after several failures and a narrow escape from a poacher's arrow, the eagle chases down a slower bird and returns to the moonlit nest. The clipped verse gives the lie to the "Peaceable Kingdom" promulgated in countless children's books and cartoons-the landscape swarms with predators looking for dinner and prey seeking to avoid becoming same. Tawny eagles are one of Africa's largest birds of prey, as the author notes in the afterword; this one, and his mate and chick, make attractively fierce-looking feathered guides to the renowned wildlife preserve. (bibliography) (Informational picture book. 4-8)