The Year We Learned to Fly

By Jacqueline Woodson, Rafael López (Illustrator)

Imagination transforms boredom and anger into adventure and peace.

4.4/5 Goodreads · 2,218 ratings

32 pages· 539 words· Est. 5 min read-aloud

$18.99Save 5%

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Bookroo's summary

On a dreary day, siblings follow their grandmother's advice to escape boredom and anger through imagination. As they journey beyond their minds, they discover the power of resilience and creativity, echoing their ancestors' strength. Can they harness this skill to transform their world?

From the publisher

Jacqueline Woodson and Rafael López’s highly anticipated companion to their #1 New York Times bestseller The Day You Begin illuminates the power in each of us to face challenges with confidence. On a dreary, stuck-inside kind of day, a brother and sister heed their grandmother’s advice: “Use those beautiful and brilliant minds of yours. Lift your arms, close your eyes, take a deep breath, and believe in a thing. Somebody somewhere at some point was just as bored you are now.” And before they know it, their imaginations lift them up and out of their boredom. Then, on a day full of quarrels, it’s time for a trip outside their minds again, and they are able to leave their anger behind. This precious skill, their grandmother tells them, harkens back to the days long before they were born, when their ancestors showed the world the strength and resilience of their beautiful and brilliant minds. Jacqueline Woodson’s lyrical text and Rafael Lopez’s dazzling art celebrate the extraordinary ability to lift ourselves up and imagine a better world.

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