FLIGHT SCHOOL

Narrator L.J. Ganser delivers this story's opening line--"I was hatched to fly"--with all the joy and determination of a young bird with the "soul of an eagle." Penguin tackles flying lessons with gusto despite the reservations of his flight instructor and the other birds. Ganser's "Ge-r-o-ni-mo!!!" as Penguin heads off on his first flight is boisterous and enthusiastically elongated--as if carried skyward on upper air currents. The inevitable fall from the sky that comes next is underscored by Ganser's plodding, dejected tone. But soon, Penguin returns with his friend Ostrich, who has the "soul of a swallow"! Young listeners will relish imagining all the fun details of flight school. A.R. [Published: DECEMBER 2014]