Martha Begley Schade
Why buy this book?This charming & beautifully illustrated book is a useful reader for preteen social science discussions, where the key focus points in this book are bullying, friendship, and self-esteem. The Main StoryThis endearing book is excellent at outlining the importance of friendship and teaches young readers especially preteens to talk about their issues if they have been bullied. It also offers an opportunity to talk about when we could be bullies ourselves.Flappy is a pigeon who is outcast after the group decides his flapping wings are an embarrassment to the community. Alone and despondent, he decides to do his best when he hears that the princess has been kidnapped by dragons. It is the very fact that his wings flap so loudly that frightens away the dragons and he can save the princess.For his efforts, the King of the Claddagh awards him with a medal for bravery and he goes to live with his new friend. He realizes that the very reason everyone bullied him was in fact, the reason he became a hero. The Premise of this StoryThis book covers issues such as bullying, kindness, friendship as well as finding the strength within. The talking points at the end of the story help stimulate discussion around these topics. In addition, there are fun facts about pigeons to get detailed insights about the animals.
