Ready for Takeoff: North, South, East, West by Margaret Wise Brown

WHEN I FLY AWAY, WHICH WAY IS BEST?

NORTH, SOUTH, EAST, WEST?

Mother Bird has done her job. She has taught her little fledgling how to fly high, above the storms and with the wind, but now it is time for her young one to fly forth to find her own home, and she cannot tell her where that is.

The little bird quails at the thought of leaving the comfort and safety of her familiar nest in the safe sycamore tree. But somehow duty calls, and her now strong wings bear her away into the unknown.

But the North is too icy cold and blown bare, and she dreams of the warmth of southern breezes. But when she arrives in the South the weather is too hot and steamy. The young bird goes west, but finds the sun sinking into the sea and night falling. North, South, West--they are all different, but none of them feel like home.

SO SHE STRETCHED OUT HER WINGS AND FLEW INTO THE RISING SUN.

OVER MOUNTAINS, DEEP CANYONS, GREAT FORESTS, AND PLAINS SHE FLEW...

TO WHERE LAND WAS SOFT AND GREEN, AND SYCAMORE TREES GREW ...

And in a new sycamore she builds a nest for her babies, in this first-time publication of the notable Margaret Wise Brown's heretofore-unknown North, South, East, West (HarperCollins, 2017), in which the little feathered pilgrim finds her way, literally trying her wings, exploring her world, and finally coming down to where she is meant to be. This early but never-illustrated story by the famed author of Goodnight Moon and The Runaway Bunny drew the services of the award-winning artist Greg Pizzoli, whose flowing lines and bright colors form stylized illustrations that make each page come alive. Says Horn Book Magazine,, “Pizzoli’s style is defined by a bright palette and crisp geometric forms that combine to create a Mid-century modern aesthetic befitting a story written by Brown, the mid-century master of picture-book texts.”