Flying Jake is a children's picture book by Lane Smith. It was originally published in 1988 by Macmillan Publishing Company and reprinted by Viking Press in 1996.[1] In this wordless story, a boy named Jake takes flight in pursuit of his pet bird, which has flown out of its cage and through a window. Flying Jake was the first independent work by Smith, who later illustrated The True Story of the 3 Little Pigs! and The Stinky Cheese Man and Other Fairly Stupid Tales.[2]

Flying Jake
AuthorLane Smith
Cover artistSmith
LanguageEnglish
SubjectBirds, Imagination
Genrechildren's books
picture books
PublisherMacmillan Publishing Company/Viking Children's Books
Publication date
1988
Publication placeUnited States of America
Pages32
ISBN978-0-689-80376-5
OCLC34530605

Reception

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The book received mixed reviews. In The New York Times, Signe Wilkinson called it "a rich picture poem that gives readers of any age a certain feeling about flight among the birds."[3] Several teachers' guides have also recommended the book for use in grade school classrooms.[4][5] However, Carol McMichael of School Library Journal criticized Flying Jake for its "busy, confused story and bizarre illustrations."[6]

Notes

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  1. ^ "Picture book reprints." Publishers Weekly. 15 January 1996.
  2. ^ Claudia Logan. "Jingle Bells, Batman Smells." Washington Post. 6 December 1992.
  3. ^ Signe Wilkinson. "Flying Jake." New York Times. 12 June 1988.
  4. ^ Martha Brady. Dear Teacher: 1001 Teachable Moments for K-3 Classrooms. Libraries Unlimited, 2003.
  5. ^ Colleen Reese. "Story development using wordless picture books." Teaching Comprehension and Exploring Multiple Literacies. International Reading Association, 2000.
  6. ^ Carol McMichael. "Flying Jake." School Library Journal. June/July 1988.