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Little Wings #2: Be Brave, Willa Bean! by Cecilia Galante, illustrated by Krista Valiant. December 27, 2011. Random House. 112 pages. ISBN: 9780375869488

This second book in the Little Wings series might be set in a fantasy world, but it deals with some real issues faced by kids in early elementary school. Willa Bean has learned to fly, but that doesn’t mean she’s completely confident. In fact, when it comes to flying high up into the air like her friends do during the playground game of Tip-Top, and flying at night in pitch darkness, she’s downright scared! When her sister gets into a sticky situation after sundown, Willa Bean is the only one who can help her. Will she face her fears and save the day?

I am a huge fan of the world Cecilia Galante has built for this series, and this second book immerses the reader even further into it. This time around, we learn that the days of the week have different names in Willa Bean’s world (Thursday is Thunderday, for example) and we find out that her father’s arrows, which he uses to help grown-up humans fall in love, are actually very special objects that can only be touched by members of the cupid’s family. We also learn more about Willa Bean’s owl, Snooze, who is sick with a cold. All of these details paint a rich portrait of Willa Bean’s fantasy world, making it easier for early chapter book readers to relate to it.

The other thing that struck me when I was reading this book was how much I love Willa Bean’s best friend, Harper. She’s much less timid than Willa, and willing to face the world head-on, and she encourages Willa Bean to take on things that scare her, and to look for the positive in life. Their friendship reminds me a lot of other chapter book best friendships - namely Mallory and Mary Anne from the Mallory McDonald series, and Grace and Mimi from the Just Grace books- where opposites attract and complement one another. Willa Bean’s fears of flying and the other fantasy elements of her school life also reminded me a lot of the Worst Witch books by Jill Murphy, which would make excellent read-alikes for the Little Wings series.

Read my review of the first Little Wings book, Willa Bean's Cloud Dreams here.

I borrowed Be Brave, Willa Bean! in Kindle format from the public library and read it on my Smartphone. 
For more about this book, visit Goodreads and Worldcat. 

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