Fly Away Home

Oh my gosh, this book got me right in the feels! A story about a boy and his father who live in the airport, how they make it day to day and how he dreams of a better life with his Dad and friends someday. In the story there is an integral moment where the boy sees a bird who after continued struggles, and being stuck inside, eventually finds his way out of the airport. This event is significant because it gives the boy hope. Why is this moment important? Why does it provide the boy with hope for his own situation? Is there anyway to help others in this situation?

I absolutely loved this book for a few reasons. Firstly, I enjoyed that this book is told from the viewpoint of Andrew, the little boy in the story. Because it is told from a child’s perspective, it also has the syntax and sentence structure of how a child would think or talk. For example, “Then he goes to the phones. When he comes back he looks sad. Sad and angry”, depicts how a child would describe how someone looks. I believe this truly puts the reader into Andrew’s shoes. The child’s perspective on this situation also provides a new insight I have never thought of before. Andrew and his father are homeless and survive by living at the airport. They live each day by carrying their things around and pretending to be boarding show more planes, and avoid being kicked out of the airport. This book sheds light on how hard it may be for a child to cope or grasp with the concept of being homeless.
I also enjoyed the deep topics that are discussed in this book. Most children’s books consist of simple and straight-forward lessons about character. However, Eve Bunting chooses to discuss the struggle that children face when not having their mothers present in their lives as well as not having a welcoming home to call their own. Bunting does not shy away from this topic, and demonstrates how a child may deal with these issues. In the first sentence of the book it says, “My dad and I live in an airport. That’s because we don’t have a home and the airport is better than the streets.” This sentence immediately impacts me and sets the tone of the story. I believe that because Bunting chose to directly bring attention to the issue of homelessness for kids, she made a stand and it deeply affects each reader who picks up her book.
The main idea of this story is to showcase how homelessness affects children and their families. It is a real problem that sadly occurs too often in the United States. Andrew and his father struggle to stay hidden and not be kicked out of the airport. If they were to be caught one day, Andrew and his father would not have a roof over their heads. Homelessness can devastate families and Eve Bunting draws attention to this issue in a creative and magnificent way. show less

Eve Bunting is an author who does not shy away from difficult subjects. She writes with a depth of feeling while handling subjects many auhtors of children's books might not want to cover.

In this book, the author writes a story about homelessness, and grief. Written from a young boy's perspective, he grieves the loss of his mother, and the loss of the home his family lived in. Now, he and his father live in an airport. Spending time trying not to be found, they have a system that works well for hiding from the security guards while looking busy.

During the day, his father found another homeless family to look out for the boy. The boys collect luggage carts that people left outside and return them for .50 cents each. If crowds are busy show more and safe, the boys offer to carry heavy bags for women. If they are fortunate, they receive tips. The money is kept in their shoes.

The meals are standard: a container of milk and a donut for breakfast. When his father returns from his work, he buys hamburgers for them, and also for the family that helps watch him during the day.

Longing for a home like it was when his mother was alive, sometimes the boy shares his feelings with his father. His father reminds him they are safe and warm. The sadness sets in when he watches people greet each other after their flight lands. He tries to fight back tears when he questions why those people are more lucky than them.

The author does a wonderful job of writing about difficult subjects told from the perspective of a young boy. When the boy saw a bird who was inside the terminal and tried to fly away, hitting the glass, it fell and harmed its wing. Then, one day the sliding door opened and the bird flew away. The young boy knew that even though he could not hear the bird, it was singing when it flew home.

Excellently written with illustrations that follow this heart-wrenching story. show less

This book is a powerful and moving book about a chlld and their father who are homeless and live in an airport. During the book, the child sees a book who watches a bird fly away from the airport and compares it to his life, hoping that one day he too, like the bird, will be able to leave the airport. The realism of the illustrations are impactful and add to the storyline. The author does a good job of paralleling the life of the boy and that of the bird. In the classroom, this book could be used to teach empathy and hope. It could be used to teach students how to create parallels and metaphors in their writing.

I really loved this story and almost cried while reading it because it was so powerful. One reason I loved this book was the fact that it touched upon the difficult topic of homelessness in a picture book format. Homeless families are not a common subject for a children's book, but many children are in similar situations so they need a book to relate to. I also really liked the symbolism of the bird in the story. The little bird can not escape from the terminal and flutters against the window for a while. However, eventually the bird breaks free and flys away into the sky. The boy brings up the bird's escape again at the end after stating that "sometimes I just want to cry. I think Dad and I will be here forever." He mentions that the show more bird was able to fly away even though it took a while and that it was probably singing as it did so. Despite the heavy emotion in this book, it ends on a hopeful note because of the bird. The main idea of this story is that there are many different kinds of families, including those that live in the airport, but we can never lose hope however rough our situation may seem. show less

For a picture book I absolutely loved this book. Even though it was a very touchy subject it takes a look at something real in the world and brings it into perspective for kids. The illustrations in the books were so realistic and had just as much of a message as the words. I think without the illustrations the book wouldn't have as much of an impact. There are many characters throughout the book. Even though the main ones are the little boy and his dad we meet many people throughout the book such as the lady who walks around with the shopping cart and his friend and his mother who also live in the airport. The main message is that we tend to overlook issues like this but they are very present in the world and it is a tragic thing to show more not have a place to call home. show less

The main idea of this book is to show the lives, feelings, and dreams of a homeless father and son.
I loved this book for many reasons. I loved that Eve Bunting challenges her readers to look at a tough issue. Homelessness is a difficult experience that takes place in our society and is often difficult to talk about. However, it is important to address homelessness because many children are experiencing it and all students should be exposed to it in a gentle way (such as through a picture book). Even if children are not experiencing homelessness, they may be able to relate to the experiences of the little boy. For example, one page explains how the little boy lives his life trying not to be noticed: "He and I wear blue jeans and blue show more T-shirts and blue jackets. We each have a blue zippered bag with a change of blue clothes. Not to be noticed is to look like nobody at all." Text like this introduces the topic of homelessness in a gentle way and also shows children that they can relate to the child's experience in other ways as well.
I also loved this book because of the symbolism of the little bird as a symbol of hope and freedom. The little boy notices a bird who gets trapped in the airport and tries desperately to free himself. It "threw itself at the glass, fell panting on the floor, flew to a tall, metal girder, and perched there, exhausted." After they boy encourages the bird, it finally frees itself. The boy reflects, "Though I couldn't hear it, I knew it was singing. Nothing made me as happy as that bird." At the end of the book when the boy is feeling downhearted because he wants to have his own home again, he thinks of the bird: "It took awhile, but a door opened. And when the bird left, when it flew free, I know it was singing." This is not only a beautiful example of symbolism, but also gives the book a hopeful ending for the little boy. show less