Tots to Teens & in beTween - Up and Down by Oliver Jeffers

Title: Up and Down

Author: Oliver Jeffers

Illustrator: Oliver Jeffers

Publisher: Philomel Books

Publication Date: x

Format: Hardback, 40 pages

Genre: Children's books, 

Other Books in the Series:

Oliver Jeffers books featuring the boy

How to Catch a Star (reviewed)
Lost and Found (reviewed)
The Way Back Home (reviewed)

How I Got It: I bought it 'cause I love Oliver Jeffers!

Goodreads Summary:

A penguin has wings for a reason . . . doesn't he? Having a best friend with his own airplane is one thing, but actually experiencing what it feels like to fly by himself? Here is one penguin who believes this is precisely what he needs to feel complete. Only . . . if flying by himself is so wonderful, then why does he feel so empty?

Because some experiences are better shared. (And penguins are much happier on the ground.)

Oliver Jeffers delivers the perfect companion to his much-loved Lost and Found. Penguins everywhere will take flight in delight.

Review:

You might not have noticed, but I love Oliver Jeffers.  So it should come as no surprise that I actually squeed out loud when I saw Up and Down on sale at my local book store.  Even funnier was that family shopping in the isle next to the new arrivals display contained not one but three of my students.  The oldest girl was one of my first graders and when she saw me bouncing and squee-ing she said, "It's a new penguin book!".  That's not normally how I like to meet parents for the first time, but the kids understood, and we both walked out with copies of Up and Down.

The boy and the penguin return in this vibrantly hued watercolor picture book.  The boy and the penguin are best friends and the always do everything together.  

Courtesy of Oliver Jeffers

But one day penguin realizes that there's something he would like to do and it's really important and he needs to do it by himself.  Penguin wants to fly.

Courtesy of Oliver Jeffers

He did own wings after all,

even if they didn't work very well.

Penguin tries and tries, with varying degrees of failure, and every step of the way is the boy trying to help him.

Courtesy of Oliver Jeffers

Finally the boy offered to fly penguin around in his airplane.  But first of all, the planes engine hadn't recover from the last flight (The Way Back Home) and secondly, penguin really felt that flying was something he had to do by himself.  The boy continues to assist and after doing some reading (in a book titled "Penguins Can't Fly") they decide it's time to ask for help.  While the boy is asking various birds how they fly the penguin is distracted by a poster looking for someone who is short, fat and dreaming of flying to become the next Living Cannon Ball.  The Penguin is thrilled and rushes off, forgetting to tell the boy were he'd gone.

The boy looked everywhere, and even thought he'd

found his friend for a second.

Courtesy of Oliver Jeffers

Although none of these other penguins knew how

to play his favorite game.

Elsewhere, the penguin had been hired for the Living Cannon Ball job (after all, he was perfect) and was getting set to fly.

Then he suddenly realized that he didn't know where his friend was.  That night each could not sleep as they worried for the other.  The next day the boy is at the airport looking for his friend when a poster for the Living Cannon Ball show catches his eye.  Meanwhile, at the show the penguin isn't so sure he wants to fly any more.  He wanted his friend, but there was no time for thoughts like that and he was shot out of the cannon.  As he hurtled above the crowd, penguin was scared and wanted his friend to help him.  Just then the boy rushes in, sees penguin, and tries to soften his landing with a pillow, trampoline, and a net.  Each idea is discarded and finally the boy simply catches his friend.

The friends agreed that there was

a reason why his wings didn't

work very well...

because penguins don't like flying.

I'm a big fan of the penguin, more so than the boy, because the he is so cute and squashy and expressive.  I loved that the boy was supportive of his friend even though penguin was eventually going to fly by himself.  I think this is a great reminder for younger children that it's ok if their friend wants to do something by themselves  - they will still be friends.  (We have lots of tears over this particular argument with our kindergarten kids.)  The illustrations, as usual, are fantabulous and I love the bright warm colors that Jeffers' uses.  this is quite simply a lovely and sweet book - a great addition to any family library.

Verdict:

Up and Down is a beautifully illustrated story of friendship and independence.  Jeffers' writing is simple but evocative and his watercolor paintings are sprinkled with amusing little details.