Chalk Eagle by Nazli Tahvili (Tiny Owl Publishing)

Have you ever looked up while walking around your neighbourhood? Looked up into the blue sky? What do you see?More often than not we're lucky enough to spot soaring Red Kites where we live - they seem to have staked a claim around Oxfordshire and it's lovely to see them soaring through the air almost effortlessly and hear their shrill cries. 

"Chalk Eagle" feels like the sort of book inspired by gazing into the skies and seeing birds wheeling around on the thermal currents that rise from our towns and cities. 

Wordlessly with strong bold images it tells the tale of a young boy living in the heart of a busy city who one day spots an eagle swooping overhead, and dreams of what it would be like to fly away and soar over mountains and rivers. 

The boy decides to use a little chalk to draw his own eagle and magically the two fly away together, and embark on a wonderful adventure inside the boys own imagination. 

The power of wordless picture books to unleash a child's sense of wonder and daydreaminess can't be faulted. 

With original screenprinted illustrations by award-winning Iranian artist Nazli Tahvili, this is a flight of fancy and a distinctly different children's story full of originality and energy. 

"Chalk Eagle" by Nazli Tahvili is out now, published by Tiny Owl Publishing (kindly supplied for review).