Courage to Fly

Patricia Morley is professor emerita of English and Canadian Studies at
Concordia University and an avid outdoor recreationist. She is the
author of several books, including The Mountain Is Moving: Japanese
Women’s Lives, Kurlek and Margaret Laurence: T

Courage to Fly is a story of fear and bravery, of courage rewarded and
friendships forged. Young Meg has moved from the Caribbean to a North
American city of skyscrapers. It frightens her. Safety lies in her room,
although an invitation from the girl next door to play outside is
tempting.

Meg finds her courage through an old man who practices Tai Chi
exercises in the courtyard and a small bird found lying in the city’s
first snow. Meg makes the bird a safe home in a cardboard box, but it
remains silent and still. The old man tells her it will die if it stays
there, so she asks Jenny to go with her to the park. There, the two
release the bird. It arrows upward with a song in its throat. Encouraged
by the tiny bird’s daring, Meg begins to play with Jenny. The old
man’s understanding of the child’s fears and hopes gently underlines
Meg’s progress toward courage and friendship, as do the poetic names
of his movements such as “Part Clouds” and “See Sun.”

Troon Harrison’s many books for children have been published in five
languages and seven countries, and have won many awards. Illustrator
Zhong-Yang Huang’s realistic yet lyrical paintings make a perfect
match for Harrison’s gentle tale. Highly recommended.