Product Description

A little girl at play can fly like a bird, moo like a cow, and squirm like a worm.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #97349 in Books
• Published on: 2003-09-09
• Released on: 2003-09-09
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Hardcover
• 24 pages

Amazon.com Review
Ruth Krauss and Mary Blair's I Can Fly won awards upon its first publication in 1951 and has not lost an iota of its charm. The first pages open to a girl standing on a swing, sailing high in the sky next to a bird whose feathers match her dress: "A bird can fly./ So can I." She can moo like a cow, grab like a crab, be merrier than a terrier, and pick, pick, pick like a little chick. Krauss's simple verses capture a child at play and provide wonderful rhythms for a lively, interactive read-aloud session: "Crunch crunch crunch/ I'm a goat out to lunch," Blair's playful illustrations are as exuberant as the story-poem, with their gorgeous (truly '50s!) palette and bold compositions that cleverly juxtapose the girl with her pretend animal playmates, page by page. Arms outstretched on the loops in the playground, the girl looks just like the crab with its grabby claws; eating celery at the table she mimics the goat eating flowers outside the front door. Young children will revel in the young girl's splendidly confident outlook:"Gubble gubble gubble/ I'm a mubble in a pubble./ I can play/ I'm anything that's anything./ That's MY way." We welcome this timeless classic back into print with open arms, much like an octopus might. (Baby to preschool) --Karin Snelson

From the Inside Flap
A bird can fly.
So can I.
A cow can moo.
I can, too.

So begins the simple, delightful rhyme by Ruth Krauss that both celebrates and encourages a child?s imagination. Mary Blair?s vibrant artwork, found in the Golden Books archives and newly scanned, looks as fresh as it did 50 years ago.

Customer Reviews

Watch out for abridged versions! Amazon, take note...
A note to all fans of I Can Fly -- most editions are abridged, and they DON'T say so. In fact, the page quoted in Amazon's editorial review ("Crunch crunch crunch/ I'm a goat out to lunch") is one of many pages NOT in the hardcover version of the book. False advertising, dudes! If you want to read I Can Fly in its full original glory, you have to get the "library binding" edition.

Some editions remove half the pages!
"I Can Fly" is a wonderful book. We purchased the board book edition after reading the hardcover from our library. We were very disappointed that two editions, at 24 pages, are quietly missing half the pages of the 48 page hardcover edition. The missing animals are "I can grab like a crab", "Who can walk like a bug? Me Ug ug", "Pick pick pick I'm a little chick", "Who can live in a hole? Me! Like a mole", "Who can climb anywhere? Me! Like a bear.", "Bump bump bump I'm a camel with a hump", "Haw haw haw I'm a donkey in the straw", "Howl howl howl I'm an old screech owl". You're missing out on half the fun here!

She Can Paint, Too!
Fans of the golden age Disney films and animation in general are very familiar with the brilliant career of color genius Mary Blair, one of the most important graphic and commercial artists of the century, and some of her best work is found right here between these covers. These beautiful illustrations are among the warmest and most engaging she ever did. "I Can Fly" is one of the very earliest (and best) Golden Books, and this miniature edition seems to be complete, unlike the more common modern reprints which are severely truncated. The color reproduction isn't a hundred percent accurate, either, but unless you want to spend considerable time at the swap meets or on eBay, this is your best bet. For more about Mary Blair (as well as Golden Books hall of famer Gustav Tenggren and many others) see John Canemaker's excellent book "Before The Animation Begins". Oh, yeah, and if you're a real little kid you'll find it much easier reading than this slightly pompous review.