First Flight - David McPhail

Published by Happy Cat Books, Bradfield, Essex, 1999 (1997).
First published by Little, Brown and Company, USA, 1987.

One of two books in this entry that we found on a shelf at a friend's bach and read to Ezekiel repeatedly over the few days we were there (the other being Good Night, Alice). 

This particular entry, written in first person, tells of a small boy taking his first flight without parents. The story outlines the steps involved: going to the airport, watching the planes arrive, boarding, having a meal, using the toilet, etc. This is all told very matter-of-factly, and would be a good book to help prepare a small child for a similar flight. It even ends with the child's grandparent collecting them from the airport after the flight.

Meanwhile, the illustrations for the story add in a fun subplot that is not mentioned at all in the text: the boy is seen carrying a teddy bear with him through the airport, and yet as he boards the plane the bear becomes a real bear, who sits in the seat next to him and does goofy things like spill honey, or struggle with turbulence. This adds a bit of fun to the proceedings, as well as expand the imagination of the reader.

Sweet, helpful, and fun.


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