Fly, Eagle, Fly: An African Tale (Hardcover)

~ (Author), Niki Daly (Illustrator), Desmond Tutu (Foreword) "A farmer went out one day to search for a lost calf..." (more)

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

A favorite African fable, attributed to the Ghanaian educator Aggrey of Africa, soars in this superb inspirational picture book set in the Transkei region of South Africa. An African man discovers an abandoned, newly hatched eaglet and brings it back to his village, where he raises it among the chickens. Knowing no other life, the eagle clucks, pecks and stays on the ground just like the chickens, until a visitor to the village tries to set things right. With determination, the visitor insists that the eagle be restored to its birthright: "You belong not to the earth, but to the sky. Fly, eagle, fly!" Daly's airy, dusty-hued watercolors celebrate both the serene beauty of a South African landscape and the gentle, humming rhythm of village life. Gregorowski, an Anglican priest, once worked in the Transkei; in an endnote, he explains the tale's religious and political significance and poignantly reveals that he retold this tale many years ago for his terminally ill daughter ("I wanted her to understand that we are all born to be eagles who are lifted up with the might of the Spirit"). A preface by Archbishop Desmond Tutu distills the book's powerful and peaceful spirituality. Ages 5-9. (Jan.)
Copyright 2000 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Booklist

While searching for a lost calf, a farmer finds an eagle chick. "The eagle is the king of birds," he says, "but we shall train it to be a chicken." And so the proud bird is raised among the barnyard fowl. One day, a friend visits and vows to prove that the eagle really belongs to the sky. However, each time he urges the bird to fly, it returns to Earth. Early one morning, the friend takes the bird to the top of a nearby mountain to greet the dawn. In a breathtaking moment, the bird rises with the sun and soars into the sky, "never again to live among the chickens." Gregorowski's retelling of a Ghanian folktale is a powerful celebration of the human spirit and its need for independence. It is beautifully complemented by watercolors, rich in the vibrant tones of earth and sky, which Daly dedicates to the children of South Africa. A foreword by Archbishop Desmond Tutu provides background on the tale. Michael Cart

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Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 4-8
  
• Hardcover: 32 pages
• Publisher: Margaret K. McElderry; 1st edition (February 1, 2000)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0689823983
• ISBN-13: 978-0689823985
• Product Dimensions: 11 x 9.6 x 0.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #1,216,333 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Fly Eagle Fly, April 4, 2002

By	Megan Allyn (New England) - See all my reviews

This African Tale is about a farmer who comes across a baby eagle and decides that he will raise it as a chicken, and so he takes it back to his farm and puts it with the other chickens. The eagle soon learns how to act like a chicken. Everything continues on fine until one day the farmers friends comes over and says this is no chicken this is an eagle and he belongs in the sky. It takes the man three times until the eagle flies away into the sunset. I like this story because it shows how much things change depending on their current environments, and sometimes that environment can hold us back from being the best we can. The author does a great job at portraying the act of finding ones true self and become independent. The illustrations in this book are also great.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Spread Your Wings & Fly!, December 7, 2001

By	Shazzar Kallie (Long Beach, CA) - See all my reviews

I truly enjoyed this children's picture book, which appeals to all ages, because of the inspiration and message it conveys. In Africa a small eagle chick if found lost after a storm. It is taken back to a village where it is raised as a chicken. It talks, walks and eats like a chicken unto one day a visitor notices that amongst the chickens there is an eagle. He tries everything to get it to fly but it believes and acts like it is a chicken, until one day he takes it back to the mountains where it was found as a chick to meet the sun at sunrise. Upon the mountain, once taken from the environment it has been placed in and seeing the bright light of the horizon and the view it realizes it can fly and does so and never lives the life of a chicken again as it soars high in the sky.

I loved the message because it shows that we as a people have been treated like chickens by society, but we are truly royal eagles. Don't be content on being a chicken, but stretch forth your wings and fly! The illustrations are wonderful, and the message is worth attaining the book alone. This is a good book to add to the treasure chest of books within your home or your children's collection to inspire them to spread their wings and fly to reach new heights in the horizon's light! God is Love!

2 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Discovering the eagle's potential, October 9, 2003

By	Mrs Sharron C Mills (Heatley, Queensland Australia) - See all my reviews

I bought this wonderful book for my nephews and loved it so much I'm buying another for my grandson. The story of an eagle that is brought up among chickens and thinks and acts like a chicken until it is encouraged to fly like an eagle has several messages. I'm a prison chaplain and it reminds me of the men and women who could be soaring on eagles wings if they can break out of the mold of their emotional environment. It has a spiritual message - we are children of God and can live a victorious life if only we will appropriate it. It also can illustrate the release of the soul at death. But it is definitely a delightful tale in it's own right.