A Wish For Wings

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Opus the penguin is down at Christmas so he makes a wish to Santa for a pair of "wings that work" so he can soar through the sky with the other birds.

He joins his pal Bill the cat in several fruitless attempts to get around his physical shortcomings but with no success. In the end he discovers that his wings are much more useful than they seemed and that he's not any less special than the flying birds after all. My family takes this off the shelf every Christmas and reads it at least three times. The book makes a great companion to the equally great DVD that's based on the book. I was always a big fan of Bloom County and I remember looking forward to the Sunday comics in the newspaper so I could read about the exploits of Opus and Milo and Bill the Cat.

So when I saw this book at our local library, I just had to read it. The story is simple and entertaining: Opus wants to fly. The illustrations are just as good as I remembered and the story is wistful, but funny. I don't think our girls have as much of an appreciation for these characters as I do, but they liked the tal I was always a big fan of Bloom County and I remember looking forward to the Sunday comics in the newspaper so I could read about the exploits of Opus and Milo and Bill the Cat.

I don't think our girls have as much of an appreciation for these characters as I do, but they liked the tale. Overall, it's a fun book to read aloud and we really enjoyed reading it together. I think it has a great message about accepting yourself for who you are. Aug 31, Spudsie rated it really liked it Shelves: And yet it's the one thing he can't do despite his wings.

He tries and tries. But when the snow ducks lead him to Santa's sinking sleigh In the words of Santa, "I see no penguins here Tongiht it was courage that flew yours beyond others. He struggles so hard to do what he thinks he "should" Poor Opus He struggles so hard to do what he thinks he "should" be doing, only to discover his best talents come naturally and require only the courage to do his best.

Opus the Penguin saves Christmas by helping rescue Santa and his sleigh in this exceptionally well-written and illustrated story in which. We all know that penguins cannot fly, but Opus dreams of soaring through the sky, as do the snow ducks and other birds. He composes a letter to Santa with only one request, "Wings that go.

The snow ducks awaken him from a deep sleep in the wee hours of Christmas morning urgi Opus the Penguin saves Christmas by helping rescue Santa and his sleigh in this exceptionally well-written and illustrated story in which. The snow ducks awaken him from a deep sleep in the wee hours of Christmas morning urging him to the pond to rescue Santa and his sleigh that had fallen from the sky. All birds know that penguins had wings that worked wonders in the water. Opus dives in " Santa thanks him with, "I see no penguins here whose wings only sputter.

Tonight it was courage that flew yours beyond others. He did fly on Christmas Day. As Breathed begins his book with, "All men dream, but not equally--T.

A Wish for Wings That Work: An Opus Christmas Story

Lawrence of Arabia ," we each have our dreams and dreams do sometimes Even if you are unfamiliar with Opus from the comic Bloom County, you can understand Opus, a bird penguin who cannot fly. He has wanted wings for so long that he decides that he will ask Santa for "wings that work". But it is not what we think we should be, but who we really are that counts. Opus finds that he is just the "bird" with all the correct abilities and courage to save Santa and Christmas.

Dec 19, Meghan rated it it was amazing Shelves: I've had this book in my collection since I was in second grade and remains one of my favorite books. The story is very inspiring how Opus became the hero of the day. The plot is similar to Rudolph but with a modern penguin twist. Opus has been one of my favorite characters and will be passed on to friends and colleagues.

Aug 14, Bryan rated it it was amazing.

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This is one of those books that had so much meaning for me as a kid that it'll mean something to me my whole life. I remembered it for the longest time and finally thought to grab a used copy from Amazon to put on my bedroom bookshelf of my most treasured stories. Aug 01, Kelly rated it it was amazing Shelves: Love Opus and this story. Dec 16, Peter Swift rated it it was amazing. Text and illustrations get five big stars from me and my husband. Jul 12, Queerwheels rated it it was amazing Shelves: This book was my childhood.

Maybe it's where I got some of my resilience. In any case, I love the story. Feb 15, Caitlyn LeBeau rated it really liked it.

The main character, Opus, is a penguin whose dream is to be able to fly. He is the only animal that has wings that don't allow him to take flight. Opus orders a flying contraption but ends up not using it because of the steepness of the fall if it didn't work. He decided to write a letter to Santa asking for wings that could fly. He set up for Santa and could not wait until the next morning wh A Wish for Wings That Work by Berkeley Breathed is an inspiring story about having different strengths.

He set up for Santa and could not wait until the next morning when he would be able to fly. In the middle of the night, a snow duck came and woke Opus up saying there was an emergency. Opus got up and then found out that Santa and his sleigh had fallen from the sky and were stuck in the middle of the lake. Opus dove in the water and pulled Santa and the sleigh all the way to the dock.

Santa then told Opus "I see no penguins here whose wings only sputter. He got to fly on Christmas after all. The pictures in this book have many details that a reader might not notice the first time. When I flipped through the pages of the book for the second time, I noticed small parts of the pictures that I had no clue were there. On numerous pages, there were snow ducks that were hidden in the background.

After noticing the pattern of the random snow ducks, it became a game similar to 'Where's Waldo' because I was looking for the snow ducks on each page. If this is pointed out to a child, they would enjoy trying to find a snow duck on each page while the book was read to them. Another thing I noticed about the pictures when I went back through was how many things that were related to flying were illustrated somewhere on the page. For example the was an umbrella that Opus could have used to try to lift him in the air when the wind picked up , a movie poster about a pilot in his bedroom, a famous pilot and bird pictures hung on the wall by the fireplace, and at the end of the story their was a flying mask hanging on the chair.

There were little details in the pictures that gave the readers an idea of how badly Opus wanted to be able to fly. There is a very encouraging moral to this story that the author hopes readers can come away with. The penguin wanted to fly so bad because all other birds could fly, that he didn't realize the amazing talent he possessed.

Sometimes kids might see their peers be fantastic at a sport and want to be just as amazing. They may not notice how gifted they are in music because they are focused on being something they are not. Everyone has their own talents, and we are all blessed in our own way. Opus saved Christmas because he was able to swim in the cold lake water and pull Santa to safety. If he was just like the rest of the birds, Santa would have been stuck in the middle of the lake. We all have our own talents and should be proud of them. If I become a teacher in a younger classroom, this will be one of the books I read to them.

I want them to come away with the message that we are all remarkable individuals and have varied talents. People need to be proud of who they are. Feb 09, Rachel rated it it was amazing Shelves: This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. I read the Hardback edition of this book, which I couldn't find on here. This book is another example of his greatness. This book looks like an extension of his comic work, probably because it was his first children's book and written during the time that he was still writing the "Outland" comic strip. I've been wanting to read this book for years, but could never find a copy.

He tries so hard to fly, but it never works. So he decides to ask Santa for the gift of flying for Christmas. On Christmas eve, Santa's sleigh breaks down and he is sinking in the middle of a lake. Opus dives in and rescues Santa, the sled and the toys. Santa is very grateful.

The next day he wakes up and there are thousands of snow ducks on his yard who pick him up and take him flying with them. Great story and they made it into an animated short as well. This book has become a Christmas tradition in my home. It is a fantastic lesson of purpose and calling wrapped in a story about a penguin longing to have wings that "work".

From Bloom County creator, Berke Breathed , this story takes Opus the penguin out of the Sunday comics and into a new world of snow ducks and Santa. The illustrations for this book are outstanding and the story is funny, well-paced, and terrifically moving. If I could give it six stars out of five, I would. Aug 27, Thomas rated it really liked it Shelves: As far as I am concerned, every child has a dream of flying in the sky just like the penguin in the book.

A Wish for Wings That Work - Wikipedia

The penguin, Opus, is dying to fly in the sky but he is a penguin and that is a problem, too. I think this book can transmit a message to children that every sorts of creature in the world has a skill to live and has its own specialty. On December 18, , an animated special based on the book aired on CBS.

Lisa Horowitz of Variety gave the special a positive review, saying that it "crams a lot of action and intelligence into its half-hour.

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Breathed, who was credited as the writer and executive producer of the special, was disappointed with the overall results. Hopefully in the rubbish pail. We can do better than that and we will with an eventual Opus film I presume your family was on speed when they watched it.

I would imagine it helps. In a interview, Breathed said that the reason he disliked the special was simply "unspectacular ratings" and that his humor "wasn't meant for television, even if it was done right. And the director was way over his head. From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.

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Berkeley Breathed , Animation Magazine , 16 March Retrieved 20 July Find a moldy DVD and check out the opening credit sequence: Watch the snowy hills during the pan. Imagine how funny it was when we finally spotted it during final mixing, six days before network broadcast. Keep in mind, this was a Steven Spielberg production of a family Christmas show. This was the pre-digital age. We courageously let it go without telling anyone.

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