The harsh realities of migration stories can be too much for young readers, but simplified versions can introduce valuable concepts for understanding without depressing children (or adults). Whistling Wings by Laura Goering tells the story of a young tundra swan who became tired of flying on his first migration and decides to hide and remain behind. He soon regrets his decision.

Marcel, the young tundra swan, was pleased to land in a beautiful patch of water with the other members of the flock. He followed his parents into the water, ate, drank, and slept. He adored his new home and thought for sure they would stay. After a while, though, his father announced they would be leaving the next day. What!?

"Marcel woke up exhausted. No way, he thought. I can’t fly all that way. And he waddled into the rushes to hide. The morning stillness was broken by the sound of squawking swans, soft at first, then building to a tremendous noise."

He remained hidden and then they were all gone. You know that feeling of indecision after you made the decision, well; Marcel immediately experienced that feeling of uneasiness in the pit of his stomach. He slid on to the ice and began to cry. This is the point where a few of the year-round residents approached him with advice on how to survive. A muskrat, eagle, and raccoon all offered help, but unfortunately their adaptations just didn’t suit this swan. As hard as he tried he couldn’t curl up in a log, he didn’t eat fish, and certainly couldn’t swim underwater or under the ice.

Marcel found himself having difficulty remembering what it was like to be warm, full, and with family. The ice was closing and the food had disappeared. Off in the distance, however, he heard a familiar hoo-hoo-hooing and he saw two ghostly, but familiar shapes circling the lake.

My Thoughts
The author, Laura Goering, was inspired by an actual migratory flight of tundra swans. Although she is a professor of Russian literature and language, this is her first book, and between her inspiration and the influence of Russian literature I feel as though this book is almost a fairy tale. It’s charming as well as educational; however, this is made more endearing thanks to the illustrations provided by Laura Jacques.

Several very moving and emotional images will impress both the younger and the older readers. Marcel standing alone looking out at the frozen lake, just as he began to cry, will pull at some strings. On the flip side, the reunion scene where the parents and Marcel wrap themselves together almost makes the heart leap for joy. It is so sweet.

This book creates the feeling of a new fairy tale or a classic story of migrating swans.

It’s Also a Book from Sylvan Dell Publishing, which means that…
This book is loaded with educational content. In the back of the book is the creative minds section where the publishers provide
• Fun facts about tundra swans
• A tundra swan life cycle sequencing activity
• Migration fun facts, and an
• Animal adaptation matching activity.

Visit the website (www.sylvandellpublishing.com) for teaching activities, interactive quizzes, English and Spanish audio, learning links (to other age appropriate websites), alignment to national and some state science and math standards, and more. Read the author information and conduct a geography lesson. The author explained that tundra swans migrated to Alma, Wisconsin, every year from their breeding grounds in northern Canada. They remained at the lakes near Alma before heading to the Chesapeake Bay area for their winter home.

Each page of this book is beautiful and the story of Marcel’s plight and lack of desire for flight is sweet and moving. I suspect there is another lesson in this that many children will realize. Each time they decide against their parent’s wiser wishes they often also find themselves in an uncomfortable predicament. Life is full of learning experiences, especially when you’re really young and Marcel’s lesson could have been much harsher.

Preschool teachers and early elementary teachers will definitely find value in this, but parents of children four to six will enjoy sharing Whistling Wings, a charming story based on the real life of tundra swans and their migration.



Recommended: Yes