Jane Goodall retells a beloved story from her own childhooda fable that illustrates how we depend on each other for help and support throughout our livesWhen the birds of the world squabble about who can fly the highest the owl devises a contest to settle the question As one by one various contestants drop out only the eagle remains soaring high above the earth However the wren stowed away in the eagles feathers suddenly appears and uses him as a launching pad to fly even higher When they arrive back on the ground the owl drives home the storys moral of togetherness and teamwork Goodall continues the theme in an afterword explaining how we all need an eagle and sharing insights on those who have played that role in her own life Reichsteins illustrations of the winged creatures are meticulously crafted and the timeless sweeping expanse of blue sky along with the heavenwards-slanted text creates a soft visual echo of the storys soaring motif.
