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Whoever Heard of a Flying Bird



Last updated Friday, September 29, 2023

Author: David Cunliffe
Illustrator: Ivan Barrera
Date of Publication: 2021
ISBN: 099756735X
Grade Level: Kindergarten    (GLCs: Click here for grade level guidelines.)
Date(s) Used: Nov. 2022

Synopsis: Pip is a little bird who wants nothing more than to eat the fresh fruit high up in the trees. There's just one problem – on her island, birds don't fly! All the other birds think the idea of flying sounds ridiculous. After all, whoever heard of a flying bird?

But Pip was never one to give up easily. Surrounded by birds that think she'll never succeed, Pip is determined to overcome failure and self-doubt and reach the fruit. Maybe...just maybe... if she tries hard enough, she might just succeed.

Note to readers:
•  This story is read as a poem with most pages having four lines and rhyming words.
•  The positive message: DON’TGIVE UP. The negative message: DON’T MAKE FUN OF OTHERS
•  There is actually a REAL flightless bird native to an island: the kakapo. The kākāpō (/ˈkɑːkəpoʊ/ KAH-kə-poh; Māori: [kaːkaːpɔː]; from the Māori: kākāpō, lit. 'night parrot'), also known as owl parrot (Strigops habroptilus), is a species of large, flightless, nocturnal, ground-dwelling parrots of the super-family Strigopoidea, endemic to New Zealand.

Discussion topics for before reading:
•  Ask children: Can birds fly?
•  Raise your hand if you have ever tried something new
•  This story is about PIP, a bird who wants to try to learn to fly. There is actually a large, flightless parrot that lives in New Zealand, called a "kakapo." Maybe think about this as the book goes on. What would you do if no birds you knew could fly? Or no other kids you knew could walk?
•  Raise your hand if you think PIP will try hard. Or, who thinks PIP will quit.

Vocabulary:

•  FLOCK: a group animals of one kind. Also, all of us, a group of people together. AND a verb - to hang out together like a flock of sheep or birds
•  TAUNTED: Teased, made fun of others in a mean way
•  IMPOSSIBLE: Not possible, cannot happen. (Impossible for us to fly)

Discussion topics for during/after reading:
•  PIP did not quit! “I am not a quitter.” Tell us when you tried and did not quit.
•  Did the other birds in the flock help PIP? Or did they make fun of PIP?
•  Let’s clap for PIP! Let’s clap because we are a flock of kind people!

Craft ideas:
•  ROCKING BIRD -
Recommended Supplies: Card stock cut in circles to fold over for rocking bird; strips of colored construction paper for feathers; triangle shapes for beak; black markers for eyes; glue sticks. (Small paper plates, feathers, and googly eyes will be available for Alta Loma Kindergarten students - if you are at another school, think about bringing your own plates, feathers, and googly eyes.)
•  Check our craft ideas on Pinterest! including a sample of the Rocking Bird! https://www.pinterest.com/readingtokids/november-2022-seasons-the-natural-world/

Special activities:
•  There is an amazing BBC video (2 minutes, 6 seconds) about the kakapo available at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bhTU__jVP8E/

*Note: These craft ideas are just suggestions. You can use them, but you don't have to use them. You can expand upon them, or add your own twist. Remember, though, that the focus of your time should not be on the development and execution of a craft; the focus should be on the read-aloud and the enjoyment of the book!