Fly Away Home [Paperback]

Eve Bunting (Author), Ronald Himler (Illustrator)

Book Description

Age Level: 5 and up | Grade Level: K and up

A homeless boy who lives in an airport with his father, moving from terminal to terminal trying not to be noticed, is given hope when a trapped bird finally finds its freedom.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

In this timely and touching work, Bunting and Himler present a naturalistic look at the plight of the homeless--their tale of a boy and his father living in a busy airport is all the more disturbing for its lack of a pat resolution. Ages 5-8.
Copyright 1993 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From School Library Journal

Kindergarten-Grade 3-- "My dad and I live in an airport . . . the airport is better than the streets." As they did in The Wall (Clarion, 1990), Bunting and Himler successfully present a difficult subject in picture book format. A small child narrates the facts of his homeless existence--sleeping sitting up, washing in the restroom, and above all, avoiding being noticed. The brief text runs through all his emotions from a matter-of-fact acceptance to a fierce longing that makes him angry at those who have homes. Using subdued watercolors, Himler conveys the vast, impersonal spaces through which father and son move. He often places them at the back or edge of the pictures, underscoring their need to go unnoticed. This is a serious story but not an overpoweringly grim one. There is a reassuring togetherness between father and son and although there isn't an easy, happy ending, it does conclude on a poignant yet believable note of hope. Both illustrator and author focus on giving the child's-eye view of the problem, and their skill makes this a first-rate picture book that deserves a place in all collections. --Karen James, Louisville Free Public Library, KY
Copyright 1991 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 5 and up
  
• Paperback: 32 pages
• Publisher: Sandpiper (March 22, 1993)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0395664152
• ISBN-13: 978-0395664155
• Product Dimensions: 8.3 x 8.6 x 0.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.1 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (32 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #17,282 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #3 in Books > 4-for-3 Books > Children's Books > Authors & Illustrators, A-Z > ( B ) > Bunting, Eve
  • #4 in Books > 4-for-3 Books > Children's Books > People & Places > Social Issues > Homelessness & Poverty

More About the Author

Eve Bunting has written more than 200 books for children, many of which can be found in libraries around the world. Her other Clarion titles for very young readers include My Big Boy Bed, which was also illustrated by Maggie Smith, and Little Bear's Little Boat, illustrated by Nancy Carpenter. She lives in Pasadena, California.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

51 of 55 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Somber story, great discussion starter...not for everyone!, September 18, 2002

By 

Jaina Solo "[e-mail]" (Not Telling, USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Fly Away Home (Paperback)

I really like this book, even though the topic is homelessness. It certainly seems that the author really looked into the subject --her details are really interesting (for example, the child and his father wear blue because people don't notice blue and the more inconspicuous they are, the better). "Fly Away Home" creates a mood--and if you're interested in letting your children feel a tiny bit of the despair that less fortunate children feel, go for it. After all, you can hug your kids and discuss this book as you go along!

I do feel that some of the other reviewers here are unaware that there are two age categories for children's picture books--4 to 8, and 8 to 12. I would say that this book falls in the latter category. Yes, a very bright six year old could sit through the brief text and come away with the message (homelessness=scary+sad), but they probably don't have the capabilities to really use the information and feelings yet. I would say this is a book to read aloud to say, a fourth grade class, when children really need to start considering social issues and things beyond their little world.

If you're one of these people who only wants books about happy bunnies, this is NOT for you. If you feel that your children can't take the "mixed messages" given by the image of airport security being scary to this homeless child, and you just can't take the time to explain to him/her that law enforcement is not a bad thing, then don't pick this book up. If you don't want your child to feel any compassion for people because you just don't want to make him/her "sad," then for goodness sakes, skip this and every other meaningful book in the bookstore.

21 of 21 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars touching (but difficult) eloquence for mid-readers, April 19, 2005

By 

Chess Heart "paxbear" (Canton, OH) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   

This review is from: Fly Away Home (Paperback)

"My dad and I live in an airport. That's because we don't have a home and the airport is better than the streets. We are careful not to get caught."

So begins Ms. Bunting's 1991 story, "Fy Away Home" about a homeless child and his father who live in an airport, spending their days trying to blend in and stay under the radar of local security.

Told from the child's persepective, FAH is not an easy book to read, even (and perhaps especially) for adults. Andrew, the narrator, frankly discusses how he and his dad avoid detection by wearing blue, changing terminals, keeping clean in the bathrooms and sleeping sitting up. A number of their fellow homeless friends have been discovered and tossed out, usually for loud or unusual behavior. It's terribly important to Andrew and his dad that they be as invisable as possible.

Andrew tells how his dad takes the bus on weekends to a job where he's a janitor and how the Medinas, another homeless family, watch over Andrew on those days. Dad fishes newspapers out of the trash and makes phone calls, presumably about renting an apartment, but always returns disappointed.

The crux of the book comes when Andrew discovers a bird trapped inside the airport. He keeps an eye on it until one day the sliding glass doors open for just a second and whoosh! the bird flies away to freedom. This becomes a sort of metaphor for Andrew as he stands at the window, watching the planes take off at the end; an end in which we don't know what will become of Andrew of his dad.

"Fly Away Home" was clearly written before the security crackdown after 9/11, but the message will still ring true to post-9/11 readers. There's a sadness and frustration that runs through the book, and a low level of fear of discovery: it's obvious that if Andrew and his dad are discovered, they'll be turned out and who knows what will happen next. Still, there's a feeling of hope to the book and the certainty that, as humans, we can adapt to anything; "it's nice right here, though, isn't it, Andrew? it's warm. It's safe. And the price is right."

Though a picture book, very young readers most likely wont get much out of the book or else they may become fearful that they too will become homeless and need to live in an airport or other public building. I've read this book to my 3rd graders and most of them grasped the seriousness of the text, though some were frustrated at the ambiguity of the ending.

I would recommend this book for school-aged kids and upper grades as a way of communicating a difficult concept-- homelessness-- to children in a truthful but not terrifying or horrific way. Excellent work, Ms. Bunting, as usual!!

13 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Uncommon, but with a real moral core, January 9, 2004

By 

E. R. Bird "Ramseelbird" (Manhattan, NY) - See all my reviews
(HALL OF FAME REVIEWER)    (TOP 100 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Fly Away Home (Paperback)

An interesting book. The plot follows a boy and his father as they make a life for themselves, living in an airport in 1991. The boy draws hope from their situation by seeing a bird escape the airport itself and take wing. The book's stark realism has many similarities to the more recent picture book, "Visiting Day", in which a little girl goes to visit her father in prison. I don't know if this specific genre of book has a name. Picture realism, perhaps. "Fly Away Home" has often been attacked as "depressing" and not appropriate for children. And admittedly, I do wonder how popular it is with the kiddies. I don't see little children fighting to be the first one to be read this one before bedtime. But this isn't to say it's a bad book. Quite the contrary. The writing and pictures are well done and the plot is informative. In my opinion, kids who've suffered homelessness themselves will connect with the narrator of the story. Those kids who haven't, may find the idea of living in an airport fun. The book really serves, however, as a way to teach our children about homelessness and how those people who suffer from it shouldn't be shunned from society itself. Should you chose to show this book to your kids, you may wish to tell them how this story could never be written today (what with our heightened airport security). A fine well-written book.