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Joshua's Library




 

Adelaide's parents were surprised when they found that their daughter had wings....

 

"Adelaide" is a standard Tomi Ungerer tale without a moral. 

 A kangaroo is born with wings. She--Adelaide--feels compelled to experience the world. She befriends a pilot; when she tires of flying, she just rests on top of the plane. She sees a maharajah; she enjoys touring parts of India on the back of an elephant.

Having tired of travel, Adelaide settles in Paris. She performs--briefly--as a chorus girl, but meets a zoo-exhibit, "Leon," and decides to start a family. Leon wins a divorce from the zoo and begins his new (enchanted!) life with Adelaide.

If you have to read a story several times, then you want memorable details. "Adelaide" has the kangaroo distracted by a tiny dog during a press conference, the maharajah gesturing grandly with one arm, the peaceful elephant, the soaring plane in white space. It has the streets of Paris, and it has the spectacle of a bereft kangaroo enmeshed in its mother's arms. Even the pilot's gear is fun to study.

It's hard not to feel Ungerer's curiosity and warmth coming through every page. This is a keeper.
 

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