Overview

...part comic adventure, part treatise about the real-life power of birds ...a rousing flight of fancy that will inspire and entertain! -BookLife Reviews Birds have real superpowers! Peregrine Falcons have super-speed and can fly up to 242 miles per hour as the fastest animal on earth. Hummingbirds have super-stability and can hover in place and fly backward like a helicopter. Snowy Owls have super-heaing and can find animals buried under snow by listening. Golder Eagles have super-sight, seeing prey more than a mile away. Wandering Albatrosses have super-endurance and can fly up to 75,000 miles a year across oceans. To humans, these and other natural bird superpowers are astounding. But does an under-confident pigeon have any powers? This is the story of Emilio, an ordinary kid who happens to be a pigeon. When life gets him down, he looks to his favorite comic book heroes for answers - The Winged Heroes. No matter what, they always find a way to save birdkind with their amazing superpowers and daring missions. So why can't he score even a small crust of bread at the park? Join Emilio on a journey to discover his own powers in a world of challenges. Winged Heroes contains extensive backmatter for further learning, including a spread on Pigeon Superpowers, a Meet the Real Birds section with full-color photographs and species info on the birds in the story, and Activities and Discussion Questions. The title and detail on the cover are foil-stamped silver, and the book has French flaps for easy bookmarking. Birds in this book: American Crow Canada Goose Homing Pigeon Common Potoo European Starling Golden Eagle House Sparrow Osprey Peregrine Falcon Rock Pigeon Ruby-throated Hummingbird Snowy Owl Wandering Albatross Readers are invited to take a scientific personality and behavior quiz, What Winged Hero are you most like? at WingedHeroes.com matching people with the Winged Heroes superhero they are most like! 35% of the net proceeds from every Cornell Lab Publishing Group book purchase will support projects such as children's educational and community programs.

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9781943645213

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Reviews

Winged Heroes: For All Birdkind. By Thompson, Mya(Author); Illustrated by Green, Virginia Biologist and self-proclaimed bird nerd Thompson and artist Virginia Greene team up in a cheeky proclamation of bird power, a graphic novel that's steeped in science and offers engaging anthropomorphic adventures. Emilio, a bullied rock pigeon whose family cautions him that a brave pigeon is a dead pigeon, spends his free time reading a Winged Heroes comic book and wishing for super powers like the heroes in its pages. In the midst of feeling sorry for himself and his mediocre fowl abilities, Emilio and his flock-sister Nina and pals Winslow and Carmen- set out to find the secret headquarters of the comic's Winged Heroes, fittingly presumed to be in the Statue of Liberty. When they encounter danger along the way, ending up separated and lost, Emilio is forced to find his inner power to save his friends. Emilio's dream encounter with real life hero Mary of Exeter, a World War II-era trained homing pigeon who teaches him to use his innate navigational skills, is the catalyst for a heroic rescue and his eventual re-imagining as Emilio the Extraordinary. Frequent references to the different types of birds featured in the Winged Heroes, and their natural diet and abilities, underscore Thompson's educational aim -as do the fun facts at the end about homing pigeons' magnetic field navigation, discussion questions on understanding habitats, and engaging information about the real bird species who inspired the characters. Greene renders Emilio and clan's adventures in luminous detail, including rich visual elements that bring life to the storyline, such as Wizardo the Puzzle Master's tool belt to fix anything and Raptora the Visionary's fiercely studded body armor. The plot is well paced and attention-grabbing, and Emilio's motto should resonate with readers of all ages: Be brave and trust your flock. Part comic adventure, part treatise about the real-life power of birds, Winged Heroes offers a rousing flight of fancy that will inspire and entertain. Takeaway: Take a colorful, informative flight with ordinary birds who dream of being superheroes. Great for fans of: Fabien Grolleau's Audubon, On The Wings Of The World, Drew Brockington's Catstronauts. Production grades Cover: A+ Design and typography: A Illustrations: A+ Editing: A Marketing copy: A

Author Information

Mya Thompson, PhD, is an author, a biologist, and a bird nerd. As Co-Director of Engagement in Science and Nature at the Cornell Lab of Ornithology, she helps people learn more about birds. Before getting hooked on feathered animals, she studied elephant behavior in central Africa. She is the author of the book Ruby's Birds and producer of the games Flap to the Future and BeastBox. Mya lives with her husband and kids in upstate New York and is totally in awe of people who can draw, like Virginia Greene. Virginia Greene is an artist, a biologist, and a park ranger. She has followed a love of birds and nature though a variety of occupations, including an M.S. in Biology from William and Mary, a stint as the Bartels Illustrator at the Cornell Lab of Ornithology, and a year of Americorps service with Virginia State Parks. When she is outside, she is either looking up for birds or down for mushrooms, with a sketchbook at the ready. Virginia lives in the mountains of Virginia and is grateful for those who have devoted their lives to birds and public education, like writer Mya Thompson.

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