Tico and the Golden Wings
By : Leo Lionni
Fiction/Picture Book
Intended for kindergarten through 2nd grade
Do you know what it feels like to be alone and feel different? It is so wrong to be different? That's how Tico, the wingless bird in the story feels. When he wishes for golden wings all his bird friends turn against him thinking that must mean he is better than everyone else. This story is about compassion and being different in a world of sameness. Read the story to find out what happens to Tico when is granted one wish.
In the book Tico and the Golden Wings, Tico is a wingless bird who would give anything to have wings like his other bird friends. But when Tico is granted one wish, he wishes for golden wings. His friends take this to mean he thinks "he is better than everyone else" and turn against him. Now more lonely than ever, Tico sets off on a journey. Along his travels he meets people that need his feathers more than he does so he gives them away. To his surprise his feathers grow back black and he returns to his friends to show them. They all realize that you look the same and still be different. Tico says "now my wings are black and yet I am not like my friends. We are all different. Each for his own memories and his own invisible golden dreams".
In my opinion, this book is a great one for teaching. The illustrations really bring the story alive and help portray different emotions through the story. The beautiful illustrations help teach the lesson in the story that is valued and acceptable to be different. As an individual especially at a young age it is hard to realize that you should not be the same as everyone in a group but you should cherish the things that make you stand out as a person. This important theme is what makes this book appropriate for a variety of ages. In the book Tico realizes that being unique and not trying to fit in with a group is what is most important. At the end of the book Tico realizes it is his personality and experiences that make him stand out from other birds. This theme is really great for younger kids who can connect easier to animals rather than people and haven't quite experienced this lesson yet in life.
This book will be really useful in the classroom standing alone on that it teaches you it is valuable to be different. It makes for a great read aloud and discussion. I taught a kindergarten classroom where we used this book and it really worked well. Every time my kids tried to "copy cat" each other we talked about Tico and it seemed to stop them. This lesson is also great for diversity of any sort whether race, religion, new student, etc. It also goes along with several aspects of the Curriculum Frameworks such as predicting the beginning, middle and end or talking about feelings.(For example: What type of personality does Tico have?)
3 comments:
This book reminds of The Rainbow Fish. Rainbow Fish has glittering scales that he loves and when one little fish asks him to share one he refuses. He feels lonely and later in the story he gives aways all but one of his beautiful scales and feels happy and accepted with the other fish in the sea.
I agree with you that this book sounds like a good book to teach kids that being diffrent is ok and to except people for who they are.
This sounds like a beautiful story with an important message for kids. I would definitely like to read it and use it in the future.
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