Adelaide

In this beautifully illustrated book, Tomi Ungerer tells the story of Adelaide the flying kangaroo.

When Adelaide is born her parents are surprised to see that their baby kangaroo has wings. But she takes it all in her stride and quickly learns to fly. One day, she kisses her parents goodbye and sets off to travel the world, following the first airplane she comes across. The pilot is astonished, he's never seen a kangaroo with wings before, but they quickly become friends and together they visit all sorts of different places. Eventually Adelaide gets tired of travelling and when they land in Paris she decided to stay. She makes a new friend who introduces her to fine dining and takes her to the Eiffel tower and the Notre Dame. He even gives her a part in a show at his theatre. Adelaide loves living in Paris but she often wishes she knew another kangaroo. Then one day there is a fire, Adelaide sees a woman crying and screaming – her children are inside the burning house. Bravely, Adelaide flys through the smoke to the room where the children are. She manages to rescue them but she is hurt and is taken to hospital in an ambulance. Whilst she recovers she visits a nearby zoo where she meets another kangaroo called Leon. Adelaide asks the director to release Leon and he agrees. Shortly afterwards they are married and have lots of baby kangaroos – some with wings!



Adelaide embraces her difference and uses her wings to travel the world and even saves some children. This story will teach children that being different can be a positive thing.