The Woman Who Turned Children into Birds

by David Almond, Laura Carlin (Illustrator)

Overview

Master storyteller David Almond’s whimsical story about freedom, imagination, and daring all but soars off the page, paired with exquisite paintings by Laura Carlin.

“Go on. Be happy. Off you fly!”


A charming tale from a beloved storyteller and award-winning illustrator urges readers of all ages to take chances and find joy. Nanty Solo is new in town and claims she can turn children into birds. Terrified parents forbid the idea, but the children want to fly—they want it very much—and they do. One by one, they approach Nanty Solo. One by one, they are transformed until the sky over town teems with rooks and goldfinches, parakeets and sparrows. The adults take one look and cry, “Get out of that sky this very minute!” But the sight of their offspring—set free to soar, hope, and explore—soon has the grown-ups wondering what it might be like to have wings to fly and a beak to sing. The lilting, dreamy tale, told in David Almond’s inimitable voice and playfully illustrated, assures us it’s never too late to say yes to life.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781536219968
Publisher:	Candlewick Studio
Publication date:	10/18/2022
Pages:	32
Sales rank:	930,353
Product dimensions:	11.38(w) x 9.50(h) x 0.36(d)
Age Range:	4 - 6 Years

About the Author

David Almond is the acclaimed author of many award-winning novels for children, including War Is Over, Skellig, The Tightrope Walkers, and The Tale of Angelino Brown. He has also collaborated with many celebrated artists, including Polly Dunbar, Dave McKean, and Oliver Jeffers, on fiction for younger readers. David Almond's books are beloved all over the world, and in 2010 he was the recipient of the prestigious Hans Christian Andersen Award. He lives in England.

Laura Carlin is the illustrator of The Song of the Nightingale, written by Tanya Landman; King of the Sky and The Promise, both written by Nicola Davies and both named New York Times Book Review Best Illustrated Children’s Books of the Year; and The Iron Man by Ted Hughes, which was a Bologna Ragazzi Honorable Mention selection. Her artwork has been featured in Vogue, the New York Times, and the Guardian. She lives in London.

Editorial Reviews

09/05/2022

A curious stranger brightens a small town in this buoyant picture book by Almond (Annie Lumsden, the Girl from the Sea). White-presenting Nanty Solo, who wears a green sweater, uses a cane, and sits on a park bench in the town square, says she can turn children into birds. The grown-ups are by turns incredulous and horrified: “It’s piffle, twaddle, balderdash... so stay away!” But one pale-skinned child soon discovers that Nanty Solo is telling the truth, becoming a swallow for “a few short, soaring minutes.” Soon, another child says yes, and then another. Mixed-media spreads by Carlin (The Song of the Nightingale) heighten the town’s workaday life by portraying figures of varying skin tones in shadowy, smudgy grayscale. Around Nanty Solo’s transformations, though, golden light breaks through the shadow, lending color to the landscape. As more and more children take gladly to the sky, Nanty Solo asks the grounded adults a crucial question: “But what on earth are you frightened of?” It’s the tale of the Pied Piper, transformed into a story of freedom. With hints of Roald Dahl and P.L. Travers, Almond’s brief, electrifying tale champions defying convention and embracing risk. Ages 4–6. (Oct.)

Publishers Weekly

With the cadence of a fable, the book revels in the deliciousness of language. . . destined to become a family favorite. . . A timeless message with modern meaning to spare.
—Kirkus Reviews

Almond's lyrical text and intriguing ideas offer much food for thought.
—Booklist

A curious stranger brightens a small town in this buoyant picture book by Almond. . . It’s the tale of the Pied Piper, transformed into a story of freedom. With hints of Roald Dahl and P.L. Travers, Almond’s brief, electrifying tale champions defying convention and embracing risk.
—Publishers Weekly

Almond’s lilting, offbeat story is in keeping with his other books, which often have magic and children who are different. . . . Carlin’s dreamy artwork uses colored pencils to create vivid scenes of children in flight. . . The contrast between the drab city and the colorful feathered friends is striking.
—School Library Journal

Every page is filled with colorful, soft-focus sketches that perfectly compliment the text. This book would be a good addition to an SEL unit or as a read-aloud at the beginning of the school year to encourage children to be open to new ideas and to not be afraid to try taking risks to find things they enjoy.
—School Library Connection

From the Publisher

10/01/2022

Gr 1–3—Nanty Solo is an old woman with a funny name and a peculiar magical ability: she turns children into birds. She doesn't turn them into the bird they want to be, but the bird she believes they truly are. And they always return to their human forms. The other adults in the town think she's weird or dangerous, and eventually convince her to leave town. Almond's lilting, offbeat story is in keeping with his other books, which often have magic and children who are different. This one serves as an allegory for society's fear of someone who encourages others to be themselves instead of conforming. Carlin's dreamy artwork uses colored pencils to create vivid scenes of children in flight, scenes that may have some parents wondering, perhaps, what are they missing? The contrast between the drab city and the colorful feathered friends is striking. VERDICT Purchase wherever Almond's work is in demand.—Chance Lee Joyner

School Library Journal

2022-07-27
Children and adults have wildly different reactions to a magical woman’s gift.

The rumors are true. In a small village, a woman named Nanty Solo arrives, claiming to be able to turn children into birds. The adults call it “balderdash” but warn their kids away from Nanty Solo anyway. Young Dorothy Carr (pale-skinned with dark hair) is the first to disobey and swoops “into the blue” as a swallow for a few minutes before turning back into a girl. As Nanty Solo whispers the words, “Go on. Be happy. Up you go,” more children become birds until the grown-ups tell Nanty Solo to leave. She agrees but asks, “But what on earth are you frightened of?” The grown-ups fly last of all and have a marvelous time as Nanty Solo leaves to visit more towns. With the cadence of a fable, the book revels in the deliciousness of language. Adults don’t merely dismiss the magic woman but call her work “claptrap, tommyrot, piffle, bunkum!” Lisssome mixed-media art expertly showcases children of various skin tones transforming and leaving the world behind; Nanty Solo has skin the color of the page. And if the lesson of overcoming fear and letting children soar may be missed by some, it has all the hallmarks of a book destined to become a family favorite for others. (This book was reviewed digitally.)

A timeless message with modern meaning to spare. (Picture book. 3-6)

Kirkus Reviews