Born to Fly

Great things happen when you reach for the sky.

The first thing Gilbert sees when he hatches from his egg is the sky. It is love at first sight and from that moment on Gilbert longs to fly like other birds. But penguins don’t fly, they waddle, and Gilbert fails again and again each time he tries to take off. Until his biggest fall leads him to exactly where he needs to be.

Born to Fly is a beautiful new edition of this beloved story about Gilbert and his quest to find his place in the world.

Author Patrick Guest was raised in the Melbourne beachside suburb of Seaford. He works as a Physiotherapist by day and a best-selling children’s author by night. Patrick received huge acclaim for his story The Second Sky, illustrated by Jonathan Bentley; it was shortlisted for the 2018 CBCA Picture Book of the Year Award.

Likewise, Patrick’s fourth title, The Dress-Up Box, illustrated by Nathaniel Eckstrom, has established itself as a much-loved Australian classic, and was shortlisted for the 2019 CBCA Picture Book of the Year Award. His 2020 lockdown-inspired Windows was shortlisted for an ABIA, screened on the ABC, and adopted as a beacon of hope by families and schools around the world.

As a little boy, illustrator Jonathan Bentley liked football and drawing. When he was eight years old, he realised he wouldn’t be good enough to play football for Leeds United – so he concentrated on drawing instead. He is now one of Australia’s most treasured illustrators. Jonathan has worked with authors such as Margaret Wild and Andrew Daddo, as well as writing and illustrating many of his own titles.