His problem? He doesn't have wings, and his friends make fun of him for keeping his head in the clouds all the time.
That is until he makes a friend who tells him about Jesus. The little girl tells Orville that Jesus will take him to high places. After accepting Jesus, Orville continues to dream of flying, believing God will give him the ability. He hears the prompting of God to spin a web around himself, obeys, and later bursts forth as Orville Wright Butterfly, fully capable of flying to his little heart's content.
The Flight of Orville Wright Caterpillar is by Donna Perugini, with the eye-catching illustrations of Nancy Titolo.
What I Like: I'm a sucker for anything aeronautical, so my inclination is to like this story because of the name of the character and his dream.
The story was easy to follow, and the illustrations by Ms. Titolo gave a good feel to what was happening in the text on the opposite page. Orville's salvation experience was simple enough for a child to grasp. I liked the fact there was a page at the end to commemorate your child's acceptance of Jesus, if that's something they choose.
What I Dislike: I appreciate this book is a work of fiction, but I had a problem when the little girl in the story told Orville she's "been sent to preach the Gospel to every creature." Yes, we're to share the Gospel with every one we can, but not every creature. With this story being geared toward an impressionable age group, my fear is it could cause great confusion for a child - that kids may believe they need to share Jesus with the family dog or the spider in their garden.
I also didn't think the story emphasized everything necessary when accepting God. Believing God raised Jesus from the dead, confessing Him as Savior, and making Him Lord of your life are all important (of course), but admitting you're a sinner and confessing your sins isn't even mentioned.
Overall Rating: I really want to give this book a better rating, but because of the flaws in the salvation part of the story, I can only muster a Good rating.
Age Appeal: 4 - 8
Publisher Info: Donna Perugini Books, 1983; ISBN: 978-0-88144-535-0; Paperback, 40 PGS., $9.99
Buy it at Amazon.com for $9.99.
Special Info: We've also reviewed other books by Donna Perugini. You can find them here.
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