Fly, Mama, fly! by Anna McGregor

A strongly bound board book, Fly, Mama, fly! is a charming book, extolling the close bond between mother and child through the story of the Grey-haired flying fox as she journeys across the night sky in search of food and a place to sleep during the day.

The refrain Fly, Mama fly!, is at the end of most rhyming stanzas, encouraging the readers to sing out that line and predict the rhyming word.  All the way through the little flying fox holds her offspring tightly as they traverse the night sky, pointing out the clouds, moon, stars and trees to the readers.

At the end of the story, children will be able to tell each other what they have learnt about flying foxes, as well as appreciating the warmth of a mother’s love shown through the tale. The illustrations show the little flying fox against a deeply luminous nighttime sky, through the use of various shades of purple, interspersed with streaks of moonlight and clouds.

The book is read differently from the usual book which will intrigue younger readers taking in the information about a flying fox.

Themes: Flying fox, Mothers, Love, Family, Night time.

Fran Knight