Customer Reviews

Fly Away Home

5 star:		(16)
4 star:		(10)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

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.

"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!!

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.

My 5yr. old and I read this book together. My husband is a pilot for a major airline and we fly quite often with our children. I have always told my children about children who are less fortunate than them. I want them to see reality. This was the perfect book to show that. It was hard for me to read (had to hold back the tears) but I welcomed questions after we finished. They need to be aware such things do happen in our society.

I have a very good friend who has been homeless in Boston for several years (after years of struggling to pay the rent on a low-wage income, he lost his job and slipped through the cracks. He has become a writer, guest lecturer, artist and advocate for the homeless but he remains homeless himself). On nights that he isn't able to housesit for us or sleep on our couch (or the couches of other friends), he still spends many a night at the South Station bus terminal (and on many other nights, has been told to leave, although (like the father and son in this book) he tries to go unnoticed. He dresses in clean casual clothes, carries a few well-kept bags and sleeps - or tries to - sitting up on a bench.

When I happened upon this story at the library, it struck a deep chord in me. I will be buying it for my homeless friend because I know he will find hope in it and will be able to incorporate it into his advocacy work. I think it would be a wonderful tool for any curriculum teaching about poverty and homelessness to young schoolchildren. I will also buy it for my 17-month-old daughter and save it for when she is old enough to understand.

As one other reviewer mentioned, the book is somewhat dated but only because in this post-September 11 world, no one could get away with living at the airport and doing the things these characters do (like carry people's luggage, etc.) But in every other way, this memorable story offers a stark, yet hopeful, look at homelessness through the eyes of a child.

This is one of my all-time favorite children's books. Eve Bunting does an excellent job of narrating a difficult subject through the voice of a child. The illustrations add to the beauty of the writing. Although it is written for a younger audience, it can be read to a group of older students with the same effects. While I don't think that this book will make activists out of children, it will raise awareness of peers who may be in similar situations (especially among urban/rural populations). This is a great addtion to Bunting's wonderful repretoire of stories.

My name is Sydney and I am seven. I think that the story was a little disturbing and a little good. I like the ending because he talks about the bird. I think its a little interesting but not that much. I think it was neat that the little boy lived in airport and he bathed in a public bathroom. It made me feel a little sad because the boy was homeless.

The homeless are rarely portrayed as the diverse group they are. So often, we get smirky, "hobo" references or the easy sitcom joke. The whole mood of my classroom just drops when I read "Fly Away Home." There is, at first, some uncomfortable laughter. They simply are not emotionally equipped to take this one on. We trudge our way through, though. And no one gives this gift to kids better than Bunting. It is the opportunity to put real faces and figures to social issues. It is easy to dismiss a subject. It is much harder to dismiss a young boy living in an airport. Eve Bunting has literally become one of my greatest teaching tools over the years. And I thank her for it. Simply put, another great one.

Chris Bowen
Author of, "Our Kids: Building Relationships in the Classroom"

This book is more true to life then may people would like to a admit. As a school teacher, I have been using this book for years to share the plight of the working homeless. I have also worked in the homeless shelters of Boston and can't tell you how many people are struggling just to get on their feet. This book is sad, however you would been amazed how much empathy and new awareness an older child has after reading is wonderful piece of literature!

This book is great and kind of sad. The way it's sad because it was about the kid and his father being poor and they got to live in an airport and they could be kicked out from there. Also, they are trying everything to get out of there and live a good life. Out of all the way the writing of the book is good.