Air Miles

PreS-Gr 2–Time has passed since Miles the dog learned to drive a car in Motor Miles, and now this beloved dog is not able to walk as fast and doesn’t always hear when he is called by his boy Norman or Norman’s mother, Alice. When Alice suggests asking their neighbor Mr. Huddy for help finding something exciting for Miles, Mr. Huddy has something far bigger than a car this time—an airplane! Miles gets right in and begins to fly—over lakes and hills and into clouds and under the dark night sky. Soon Miles begins to lose interest in walks and food. When Miles sets off to board his airplane, Norman follows and helps him on, knowing that this is goodbye. Beautiful watercolor and pen illustrations bring Miles and his family to life, depicting Miles’s inquisitive expression and warm eyes, while also depicting a tiredness that comes with age. The text is concise in a way that says more than enough with just the right words, spreading a feeling of peacefulness on every page. The love Norman and Alice have for Miles flows through the pages as they try to find a way to fill Miles’s life with happiness and excitement, even as they ready themselves to let him fly away.