That Won't Fly! Ewe and Aye by Candace Ryan

EWE LOVED WHEELS AND AYE LOVED WINGS.

Both Ewe and Aye were born to move, but Ewe yearned for wheels, and Aye eyed wings. Ewe is a woolly sheep who fashioned herself a little four-wheeled cart, figuring if She got up enough speed on a downhill run, she could achieve escape velocity and fly through the air. Aye (pronounced like "I") is a kind of lemur called an aye-aye who straps on wings straight out of Da Vinci's drawing book and leaps off the highest objects he can find, trying to soar through the air like a bird.

They both crash land. Aye fails to soar, and Ewe just gets sore.

EWE HAD A FLAT TIRE, AND AYE GOT FLAT TIRED.

Ewe and Aye have to help rescue each other from their failed inventions.

It's not working! They will never get it off the ground this way!

It's back to the drawing board, this time with the two members of this odd couple collaborating to combine wheels and wings. What results is a sort of ultra-light tandem bike with wings. With the two of them pedaling for all they're worth down their ramp, they manage to obtain enough air speed for lift off and find themselves sharing their dream together, flying with the birds, soaring past the clouds. After all, a joint venture worked for the Wright Brothers!

THERE WASN'T ANYWHERE THEY COULDN'T FLY... TOGETHER!

In Ewe and Aye (Hyperion Books, 2014), author Candace Ryan has some punny fun (and some funny puns) with her Ewe and Aye (you and I) doublespeak, which make good sense either way you read some of her clever constructions:

THEN ONE DAY WHEN EWE(YOU) GOT INTO TROUBLE, AYE (I) WAS THERE TO HELP.

Artist Stephane Ruble's ebullient cartoon characters and the strong, bright colors are rather, um, uplifting, as she creates a demolition derby with the pair first experiment with wheels and wings but finally rise to the occasion. It's all good (as Pete the Cat would say) when, in a glorious four-page gatefold, we get to see them lift off and jointly take to the air in full flight through the clouds in their fantastical flying bicycle built for two.