Micro review: Ready to Soar by Cori Doerrfeld

Notes From the Reading Nook: March 12

I’m traveling for work today — so, no pithy insights from me, at least not here and not now 😂 — but I will shamelessly plug my Bookshop.org storefront because I haven’t done it in awhile.

Did you know I have a variety of booklists available to all subscribers?

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I have a bunch of booklists on my Bookshop.org storefront just for you:

• Books for 3-12 months old / 12-18 months old / 2-year-olds / 3-year-olds / 4-year-olds / 5-year-olds / 6-year-olds / 7-year-olds / 8-year-olds / 9-year-olds / 10-year-olds

• The best nursery rhymes

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Though I created all of these primarily as a simple way to share a large number of titles, if you make a purchase using any of these links, I do receive a small commission. We’re talking pennies, people, but! pennies add up and every little bit helps support this newsletter as well as independent bookstores. (Thank you!)

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Micro review: Ready to Soar by Cori Doerrfeld (2024)

I received a copy of this book from Penguin Young Readers Group — opinions are my own.

I can absolutely never pick a favorite picture book, but I’ll admit that I think one of the best ones of the last decade is The Rabbit Listened by Cori Doerrfeld (which I reviewed in issue No. 13).

So when I realized that Ready to Soar was a sort of follow-up — in the sense of having the same structure and a similar situation — I said a very happy yes to a review copy, sight unseen.

Reader, I was not disappointed.

Here Doerrfeld offers another story about trying to create something new, failing, and being bombarded by a lot of input from others. A little boy named Riley folds a paper plane and is totally ready for it to take off, only to encounter a bunch of birds who offer unsolicited advice — each in their own specific and not entirely helpful ways — which Riley takes and takes and takes, until he and his plane are completely overloaded. It’s only when a penguin shows up — literally leaping from the water crying “WAIT!” and blesses Riley with nothing but moral support and enthusiasm for his experiments — that, of course, Riley finally succeeds.

Though many things do parallel The Rabbit Listened — including Doerrfeld’s almost-soothing digital illustrations, which feature lots of white space but also capture facial expressions in an impressive way — Ready to Soar stands on its own, offering a lovely but entertaining reminder for preschoolers and elementary-aged kiddos that not only is stepping out of our comfort zone important from time to time, so is trusting oneself, regardless of the noise that surrounds you.

Recommended, for sure.

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Read good books and take good care 😘
Sarah

P.S. Bookshop.org links are affiliate ones — meaning I get a few pennies if you spend some dollars, which is pretty awesome, if you think about it.