Synopsis
The ideal picture book for every child’s first plane trip.
Olvina was starting to feel very nervous. “Maybe I should get off the plane,” she thought. “Chickens aren’t supposed to fly.”
When Olvina gets invited to the Tenth Annual Bird Convention in Hawaii, she decides it’s high time to overcome her fear of flying. But on the day of her big plane trip, Olvina’s tummy is filled with butterflies and she has second thoughts. After all, chickens aren’t supposed to fly. Or are they?
This tender and funny story is for children who love to fly as well as those who have not yet had the experience. From takeoff to landing, Olvina’s journey is one kids won’t want to miss!
Publishers Weekly
Comical details and a creative collection of boldly hued patterns on clothing and walls animate Lin's (One for Me, One for You, reviewed above) buoyant backdrops to a tale of a chicken who's a chicken when it comes to flying. When Olvina receives an invitation to the Bird Convention in Hawaii, she tells her pig friend Will that she can't go, since the journey entails flying over the ocean, "and chickens can't fly!" She dismisses Will's suggestion that she travel by airplane, yet after making a list of all the events she missed because she wouldn't fly, decides she will take her maiden plane trip after all. Lin humorously depicts some minor setbacks (she has to unpack her suitcase at the check-in counter to find her ticket and breaks out in a nervous sweat while watching the air safety video), but ultimately Olvina has a fine flight and becomes fast friends with her seatmate, a penguin also bound for the convention. Their fellow passengers provide some entertaining visuals: a monkey's carry-on luggage consists of a large bunch of bananas, and a mouse, buckled into a standard-size seatbelt, stores her tiny suitcase and hat in the overhead compartment. Perhaps the most diverting is the image of exhausted, backpack-wearing birds flying outside Olvina's airplane window, reinforcing the wisdom of her decision. This tale will engage youngsters while helping to dispel fears of flying. Ages 4-7. (Apr.) Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information.