Fly Away Home

Via nursery rhyme cadences and scenes of animal migration alongside humans in flight, Quan and Duzakin movingly center one outcome of lives in jeopardy. As incantatory and reiterative lines beckon, “Little bird, little bird/ Time to fly home,” a small white bird passes a “charm of goldfinches” and a “flamboyance of flamingoes” before joining up with two larger white birds. The avian trio soon take to the skies above growing throngs of worried-looking people wearing packs. As the pages turn, the three birds attend other beings, including humans traveling across challenging landscapes. On one spread, the birds flit among clouds of monarch butterflies fluttering above smoky, charred buildings and trees. In another, they perch on sea turtles near boats packed tight with people. Delicately rendered crayon and pastel illustrations visualize the travelers under sun and starlight across a work that juxtaposes multiple species’ movements. Most human figures are portrayed with pale skin. Ages 3–6. (Apr.)