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.

One for Mothers (and Dads): I Love You the Purplest

Barbara Joosse and illustrator Mary Whyte have combined their talents in a parable to explain one of life's mysteries: how do parents love each child uniquely and yet the same?

In this story two very different boys vie for their mother's attention as they set out from the cabin on a fishing expedition. Quick, exuberant Max "explodes" from the cabin door, swinging his bait-digging shovel wildly; careful, deliberate Julian shuts the door tightly "to keep it safe from burglars and bears."

As they dig for worms, paddle the boat to their fishing hole, and make their day's catch, the two boys compete earnestly for their young mother's approval. In response to their repeated questions of "Who is best?" their mom finds something to praise in each boy's efforts. "Julian, you took the deepest strokes, and Max, your strokes were fastest."

When bedtime comes, each child whispers "Mama, who do you love best?" Mom tells Julian, "I love you the bluest," the blue of a dragonfly's wings, the deep shadows of a cave, the mist of a waterfall, the softness of a whisper.

To Max she says, "I love you the reddest," the color of a blazing sunset, a campfire's light, the warmth of a hug, the joy of a shout.

I have read this book to groups of children from Kindergartners to third graders, and when I asked "Why is this book named I Love You the Purplest?," even the youngest could tell me: "Red and blue make purple, and their mom loves them differently but the same." Poetry and symbolism are not wasted on the young!

If you know a mother with very different small children, she might appreciate having this book to read to them. She probably already knows that she loves each one as much as she can, but individually for the unique persons they are, but as a child it's always good to know that your mom has a special place in her heart where you are loved, for yourself, the best.

Other outstanding books that celebrate mothers are Barbara Joosse's earlier Mama, Do You Love Me?, Libba Gray's My Mama Had a Dancing Heart, Berkeley Breathed's new Mars Needs Moms, and for sheer rhyming fun, Deborah Guarino's and Steven Kellogg's Is Your Mama a Llama?. (For fun with this last one, try writing your own quatrain with the kids about the mom in your home!)