Fly, Cher Ami, Fly!: The Pigeon Who Saved the Lost Battalion
Grade 2–4—Burleigh sticks to the happier aspects of this last flight of the intrepid carrier pigeon whose timely message enabled the rescue of a stranded American battalion during the waning days of World War I. In the afterword, readers learn that Cher Ami was badly wounded during this flight—blinded in one eye and crippled when one of his legs was shot off. Since the action of Burleigh's narrative begins when the battalion is already surrounded behind enemy lines, it will be difficult for young readers to understand it within the context of the war itself. MacKenzie's sun-drenched palette is an odd choice for depicting battlefields. Then, too, readers may wish they had a fuller description of how Cher Ami came by his wooden prosthesis (on display with his body at the National Museum of American History) and of his recognition by the French government, which presented him with a medal for bravery. Somehow, this book misses the mark—sadly incongruous in a book about a homing pigeon.—Miriam Lang Budin, Chappaqua Public Library, NYCopyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.