Fly Free!    by Roseanne Thong Order:  USA  Can Boyds Mills Press, 2010 (2010) Hardcover     Reviewed by Bob Walch My name is Mai and I live in Vietnam. I often go to a temple in the area where I live, where I can feed some birds which are kept in a cage. I have small bowls of seeds and water that I slip into the birds' cage. I would love to see the birds set loose but I don't have enough money to buy their freedom. In my culture it is the Buddhist way to good deeds. I often say to myself when I feed the birds, 'Fly free, fly free, in the sky so blue. When you do a good deed it will come back to you.' My story explains how a series of good acts, performed by a number of people, eventually do come back and result in these caged birds finally being released. It's an interesting story that involves a girl giving her slippers away, a wagon driver offering an old woman a ride, and a monk helping a boy who is ill. When all these good deeds were passed from one person to another, they made a full circle of kindness and returned to the starting point at the temple. And, as you will see, the caged birds were finally able to fly free as I had hoped. The illustrations that accompany my story are really special. The artist used watercolor on wood which resulted in a very interesting texture. If you are six or seven years of age, I think you'll really enjoy reading this book and seeing how powerful good deeds can be. Note: Opinions expressed in reviews and articles on this site are those of the author(s) and not necessarily those of BookLoons. Find more Kids books on our Shelves or in our book Reviews