Tomo Takes Flight

August 15, 2017
Tomo and his best friend, Maya, use his great-grandfather's Adventure Journal to solve more problems (Tomo Explores the World, 2016).As Tomo plots how to fly like a bird, Maya has discovered some unusual bird tracks to investigate. Off they go to their treehouse to see if the Adventure Journal can help them with these mysteries. Though the book has a diagram of a "flying machine" (actually a suit with wings, which may stretch many young readers' notion of "machine"), it does not have all the information Tomo needs, so he decides to experiment. After Maya suggests he model his wings after a bird's, they find a map in the Adventure Journal that leads them to a bird sanctuary on their island home. At the sanctuary, they spot the rare boka bird--the source of the mysterious tracks. Observing how the boka flies inspires Tomo to try again. Lai sets his tale in a lushly green fishing community. Background details of Cape Cod-style frame houses combine with such stereotypical elements as clothing style, animal-head medallions, and Tomo's father's animal-tooth necklace to give readers a sense of a modern, generic indigenous community. Tomo and Maya have pink skin, black hair, and black, button eyes. But the main event is Tomo's Leonardo-like excitement in invention. Homing in on the delight of discovery, Lai's second Tomo book encourages readers to get creative when solving problems. (Picture book. 5-7)

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January 1, 2018

PreS-Gr 2-Tomo and his grandfather's Adventure Journal are back. But before he can go exploring, he must do his fishing homework. He quickly invents a machine to do the work, while he and his friend Maya decide to build a flying machine. Guided by the journal, they find instructions to build one, but it doesn't work out as planned. Maya suggests consulting the journal again. They read about a rare bird, and Maya notes that birds know how to fly best. Tomo builds a bird-watching tower so they can study birds and better understand how their wings and tails work together. He quickly sketches out a new idea for a flying machine. He tries it and it works; he soars with the bird in the sky and helps his new friend find a safe home. While he's flying, he sees his dad heading home. Tomo returns to check his Fish-o-Matic to see what he has caught. The friends have had a great day, and Maya says next time she wants to fly, too. Each colorful page turn adds to the fun. Original pencil drawings, colored in Photoshop and layered with texture, bring Tomo's world to life. Illustrations of the open Adventure Journal really help to pull readers into the excitement. VERDICT Fans of Tomo will enjoy reading one-on-one with the little explorer and his ever-expanding imagination.-Emily E. Lazio, The New York Public Library

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