The Boy Who Became an Eagle
By Kathryn Cave
Illustrated by Nick Maland
There once was a boy who found
out he could fly. Something told him
to keep it a secret. . .
I write for children of all ages. I live in Hampstead, London, and I'm available
for school visits and workshops.
"Cave’s prose is as spare as winter and has a restrained icy beauty while it niggles away at ideas of freedom and the need for a home. Maland’s brilliant, detailed drawings conjure up a sense of both claustrophobia and wide open spaces where the imagination can soar."
Guardian, 31 January 2001
The wind smelt of far off places and freedom. By summer's end he could fly like a swallow. And nobody knew . . .
The idea for The Boy
Who Became an Eagle
The idea for this story came from the legend of Icarus. In this version cold rather than heat makes him fall: it's a cold thing to be different
from the people around us
and a great gift can cut us
off. I'm glad the boy found
a way back to his home
and family again.
The boy flies too high one winter night and falls into the snow at the feet of a travelling showman. Fame and fortune are soon his. But something is missing. Night after night he counts the stars through the window, remembering home. . .
Have you tried these?
Other picture books
with Nick Maland:
"This wonderful book has the enduring feel of a myth or a fable and leaves you with a pang in your heart and a sense of loss."
Guardian, 31 January 2001
For more confident readers
(illustrated by Chris Riddell)
Psst!
Anything in blue is a
link. Click and see . . .
