Author: Shirley Hughes
Title: UP AND UP
Illustrator: Shirley Hughes
Publisher: Bodley Head
Year: 1979
Genre: Picture Book
Format: Hardcover
Reading level: Emergent
Interest level: Pre-K, early elementary
Topics: Kids, flying, idea of trying your hardest, not succeeding, happiness
Summary: This book is about a small girl who wants to fly. She attempt to fly many times, but fails. She finally figures out a way to stay in the air for a short period of time before falling. She lives in London and all the people living there are worried about her. They watch her try and try again. She never learns how to fly, but at the end she is content and happy with that. She has her family and that is all that matters to her. This picture book does not need any words because the pictures tell the reader exactly what is going on.
Extension Activity: Do an experiment with balloons with the students. Have children help the teacher blow up a variety of colored balloons. The balloons provided would be latex free, so kids with allergies could participate. After the balloons were blown up, the experiment could begin. The experiment would be to see if the kids could fly from holding on to a few balloons each. Of course the teachers would know that it does not work, and the kids just read the book which demonstrated how that does not work. Even though the kids were shown that it does not work within the book, I think kids would still be somewhat curious about it and would want to see for themselves. After the kids saw that they can not fly with the balloons, the teacher would discuss why that is and talk about what things in the world can fly. This activity would be a discussion as well, following the main experiment.
