A Pair of Wings

by Marilyn Singer

illustrated by Anne Wertheim

Published by Holiday House

ISBN: 32 pages, 2001

 

Didi and Daddy on the Promenade

by Marilyn Singer

illustrated by Marie-Louise Gay

Published by Clarion/Houghton-Mifflin

32 pages, 2001

Spring Flings

Reviewed by Lynne Remick

With spring in full swing, there's nothing more I like to dive into with the kids than books that awaken the senses to the sensations of the season. Two books that accomplish such a feat are A Pair of Wings and Didi and Daddy on the Promenade by Marilyn Singer. These picture books continue veteran children's author Marilyn Singer's tradition of providing fun-filled and fascinating literary experiences for children and the adults they read with.

If you had wings, what kind would they be?

Long and transparent as a dragonfly's?

Feathery and silent as an owl's?

Leathery and pointed as a bat's?

Would you use your wings to soar? To skim? To hover, To swim?

Or would you hardly use them at all?

In A Pair of Wings, Marilyn Singer escorts the reader on a fanciful flight to a land where blue jays, butterflies, bumblebees, bats and other flying creatures fly together in happy abandon.

As a result of the pairing of intriguing, active illustrations with fascinating facts about all things winged, Singer has created a picture book that will appeal to children well beyond the ages 4 to 8 that the book was intended for. However, as a read-along, the text seems geared toward an older audience.

Notably gorgeous illustrations with identifying text denote the many orders and species of living things with wings. In addition, pertinent, detailed illustrations accompany the text and portray interesting information, such as comparisons between the bones in a bird's wing/human's arm and the wingspans of various birds and insects.

A glossary provides an added bonus with explanation of terms and organizations that protect and study birds, insects and mammals.

Learn how and why birds and butterflies migrate, why an owl flies silently, why bats can soar and more in this enlightening picture book for older children.

The Brooklyn Heights Promenade promises lots of sights and sounds to enjoy for Didi, and she can't wait to get Daddy out of bed to enjoy them. She rouses Daddy with a "WAKE!" and then Daddy rushes to dress as Didi heads for the door.

What will she see today?

A blue car? A yellow car?

A ship with a flag?

From the Promenade, Didi and Daddy see a wonderful world, including the Statute of Liberty, Lower Manhattan, the Brooklyn Bridge, boats, trucks and more! They feed playful pigeons, pretend to be dogs walking, enjoy ice cream and swing to the sounds of a street band.

Didi and Daddy enjoy the promenade all day long, barking, dancing, jumping, swishing, sliding, whishing and swinging. Then the rain comes... but the fun's not over.

She laughs. Daddy laughs too.

Away they fly, laughing and

splashing up the best place on earth.

Up the skippy, drippy, sparkly, parkly, perfect Promenade.

Marilyn Singer's short, snappy prose and Marie-Louise Gay's bright, active illustrations make this a fun-filled "slice of Brooklyn life" picture book. There is so much to see, do and enjoy for adorable, fast-moving Didi and readers on the lively Promenade. | May 2001

An avid reader, established reviewer and writer of poetry, non-fiction, fiction, historical romance and children's books, Lynne Remick can always be found with a book in her hand. She lives in New York with her fiancé Michael, her son Kevin, her Schipperke Dante, a feral cat named Sahara and a spoiled hedgehog named Nike. There, in a little house once owned by her Great Grandparents, she reads, writes stories, book reviews, writing columns and poetry.