ALA Booklist

Lark, dove, vulture, and eagle each claim to fly the highest. So owl suggests a contest, and off the birds soar. It appears majestic Eagle is the winner, but hidden among its feathers is a tiny surprise that just might change the contest's outcome. In simple yet eloquent prose and spry dialogue, the renowned Goodall retells a fable from her youth that highlights the importance of individuality as it acknowledge everyone's need for a little help now and then. Elegant illustrations, in soft tones of brown, gray, blue, and green, portray beautiful, expansive landscapes and skyscapes from the birds' perspectives, as well as expressive renderings of the birds themselves. In a heartfelt Goodall shares her lifelong love for the tale, and how it influenced her life. A warmly conveyed tale, set in an appealing outdoor setting.

Horn Book

The birds hold a contest to see who can fly highest, and when all but the eagle have dropped out, a tiny wren creeps out of the eagle's feathers and flies even higher. The static illustrations are lightened with a series of bird's-eye views of the ground, but overall, the book is heavy on message and short on action or a conclusion. Goodall's endnote further spells out the mentoring allegory.

Publishers Weekly (Fri Oct 06 00:00:00 CDT 2023)

The birds of the world squabble about who can fly the highest, and the owl devises a contest to settle the question. "The prose flows smoothly enough," wrote <EMPHASIS TYPE=""ITALIC"">PW, "and the illustrations of the winged creatures are meticulously crafted." Ages 5-8. <EMPHASIS TYPE=""ITALIC"">(Sept.)

School Library Journal

Gr 1-3-In this elegant picture book, Goodall retells a favorite childhood fable about which of the birds can fly the highest. Her formal language, in which the ostrich states, "I can't fly and I'm certainly not ashamed of that. I use my wings in the beautiful dance that wins me my bride," adds dignity to the varied avian personalities. Tiny wren secretly piggybacks on the eagle, soars up slightly higher for a peek around, then concedes contest victory to the friend that made it possible. Goodall's rhythms make for a dramatic read-aloud, and the presentation is further embellished by realistically rendered depictions of owls, ostriches, and vultures, among many others. Reichstein displays marvelous line and watercolor and gouache vistas of sky, varying enough to keep the dominance of blue interesting. The continually shrinking views of the ground as the eagle soars, open romantic visions of farms, castles, sailing ships, and mountains. The naturalistic scene of the vulture's slightly bloodied meal is shown from a distance and misted to soften reality. At the end, readers share in wren's gratitude for the eagle's amazing view and for the benefits of teamwork.-Gay Lynn Van Vleck, Henrico County Library, Glen Allen, VA Copyright 2000 Cahners Business Information.