Fly Like A Bird - Perfect Picture Book Friday #PPBF

Maria Marshall
Aug 28
4 min read

As an avid birder, I adore this book. I am excited to be able to give you a sneak peek at this fascinating book that offers a look at different birds and how they fly. Beautifully written in a question and answer format between a parent and a young chickadee desperate to fly and wondering how other birds do it. It's a gorgeously illustrated, STEAM informational fiction book on eleven different ways birds use their wings.

Book cover of a diving falcon, an owl, a pelican, a chickadee, a swift, an ostrich, and a hummingbird set against a cloudy sky.

Fly Like A Bird

Author/Illustrator: Olga Ptashnik

Publisher: Eerdmans Books for Young Readers (September 2, 2025)

Ages: 4 - 9

Informational Fiction

Themes:

STEAM, birds, flight, persistence, and growing up.

Synopsis:

A playful tour through the flight patterns of pelicans, peregrine falcons, and other incredible birds.

“What if I never learn to fly?” a baby chickadee asks. “You will when the time comes!” an adult answers. “Let me tell you about how our friends fly.” Will the chick fly like a hummingbird—moving its wings at top speed and sipping nectar from flowers? Will it fly like an Andean condor—using air streams to soar through the mountains? Will it fly like a penguin—flapping its wings like fins underwater? Maybe this tiny chickadee can find its own way to fly.

With vibrant illustrations and incredible facts about each feathered friend, Fly Like a Bird is a thrilling introduction to life on the wing. This warm, conversational book is perfect for nature lovers, aspiring birdwatchers, and anyone who’s ever wondered how to soar into the future.

Opening Lines:

Oh, I wish I could fly like you! I can flap my

wings, but I can’t fly. I’m just a tiny little bird.

I like my little tail and my black cap, but

what good will they do me in the air?

What if I never learn how to fly?

All chickadees know how to fly, and you will learn when

the time comes! We chickadees flutter from branch to

branch with no effort at all. Your feathers will grow.

Your wings will become stronger.

I can’t wait! But how do birds actually fly?

All birds have wings, feathers, beaks, and tails, but we use them

in different ways. Let me tell you about how our friends fly.

What I LOVED about this book:

Ingeniously written as a discussion between a juvenile black-capped chickadee and its parent, this STEAM book introduces the reader to a diversity of birds and the various ways they each use their feathers and wings. I love how Olga sets up the format, using blue type in italics for the parent and black for the young chickadee, It makes it easy to follow their conversation throughout the book.

Internal image - on the left, a young chickadee, not yet able to fly, talks with a parent perched on the branch below, with a black silhouette of a soaring chickadee imposed against the tree boughs. On the right, the silhouette of a young chickadee flapping and hopping about.

Worried it will never learn to fly the young bird pesters its parent with questions. With the description of each bird's "wings, feathers, beaks, and tails," Olga Ptashnik explores the mode or method of flight (or use of wings) of each bird. First, through a lyrically written description, then a still shot of the bird in action, and finally through a "stop-motion" flow of the bird's blue-grey silhouette across the page. A wonderfully inventive way to capture and compare the uniqueness of each bird's actions. (With the only change being a white silhouette of a penguin under water.) I love how the succinct, yet wonderfully personalized, conversation rests at the bottom of the pages, allowing the birds and their individual flights and characteristics the majority of the canvas.

Internal spread - on the left, set against tiny red flowers and big green leaves, a tiny hummingbird sips nectar, while below and above it the busy, flapping, silhouette of the bird zips and swoops. On the right, the silhouette hovers in placve, with wings flapping continuously.

Using an "okay, but what about" format - "Oh, so they fly underwater! But is it possible to fly in both the water and the air?" - the two chickadees discuss ten different birds, including the speedy hummingbird who can hang in midair, the albatross "sailing in the sky," penguins, a pelican who have "mastered both elements," swifts who rarely rest, an ostrich, and the Andean condor. I was excited to see one of my favorite birds, known for its acrobatics and adaptability to cities (or the cliffs around a spectacular waterfall) - the Peregrine falcon.

Internal spread - on the left, a peregrine soars though a city skyline with its typical "v" of its wings. On the right,

Each digitally created illustration provides a muted, earth-toned (or water) habitat and a lively use of light and shadow which makes all the birds and their silhouettes pop. In addition, the gorgeous end papers provide a fun collage showing the size and texture of the various bird's feathers. There's also a subtle background look at various human actions (deep sea fishing and cross-country skiing) and a range of housing. Inviting kids to pause and observe the flight of birds around them. The ending is a combination of acceptance, determination, and a touchingly captured joyous moment. A spot illustrated "More About Birds" note offers, in a quick one or two sentences, an awesome fact about each featured bird. This is a stunning, delightful STEM introduction to the diverse flight of birds and an invitation to lean into our own individualities to discover our own ways to soar.

Resources:

try out the "design your own bird puppet challenge" using paper & recycled items to create your own amazing flying bird.
have fun folding and flying planes which mimic the flight of Laughing gulls, Turkey vultures, Peregrine falcons, and Crows.
what is your favorite bird? Why? Write a sentence or more about what makes so it special? How does it fly? Can you paint or draw a "stop-motion" silhouette picture of this bird?

If you missed my interview with Olga Ptashnik on Monday, find it (here).

This post is part of a series of blog posts by authors and KidLit bloggers called Perfect Picture Book Fridays. For more picture book suggestions and resources see Susanna Leonard Hill's Perfect Picture Books.