Flying Jake is a children's picture book by Lane Smith. It was originally published in 1988 by Macmillan Publishing Company and reprinted by Viking Press in 1996."Picture book reprints." Publishers Weekly. 15 January 1996. In this wordless story, a boy named Jake takes flight in pursuit of his pet bird, which has flown out of its cage and through a window. Flying Jake was the first independent work by Smith, who later illustrated The True Story of the 3 Little Pigs! and The Stinky Cheese Man and Other Fairly Stupid Tales.Claudia Logan. "Jingle Bells, Batman Smells." Washington Post. 6 December 1992.
Reception The book received mixed reviews. In The New York Times, Signe Wilkinson called it "a rich picture poem that gives readers of any age a certain feeling about flight among the birds."Signe Wilkinson. "Flying Jake." New York Times. 12 June 1988. Several teachers' guides have also recommended the book for use in grade school classrooms.Martha Brady. Dear Teacher: 1001 Teachable Moments for K-3 Classrooms. Libraries Unlimited, 2003.Colleen Reese. "Story development using wordless picture books." Teaching Comprehension and Exploring Multiple Literacies. International Reading Association, 2000. However, Carol McMichael of School Library Journal criticized Flying Jake for its "busy, confused story and bizarre illustrations."Carol McMichael. "Flying Jake." School Library Journal. June/July 1988.
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