Flying High
This article originally appeared in SLJ’s Extra Helping. Sign up now!
-- School Library Journal, 5/9/2007
Who hasn't dreamed of soaring through the clouds, or fantasized about the destinations of planes flying overhead? Invite a pilot or flight attendant to come and speak to your class, or to be part of an after-school program that centers on aviation and flying, and watch your young charges' eyes light up.
GAFFNEY, Timothy R. Wee and the Wright Brothers. illus. by Bernadette Pons. Holt. 2004. RTE $16.95. ISBN 978-0-8050-7172-6.
PreS-Gr 2–Wee and his family of mice live in the Wrights' bicycle shop, and when the brothers light out to test their new flying machine, Wee's curiosity leads him to stow away. As head journalist for the Mouse News, Wee uses his keen reporting skills to describe the events. This engaging story is based on an actual, historically documented mouse!
JOHNSON, Angela. Wind Flyers. illus. by Loren Long. S & S. 2007. RTE $16.99. ISBN 978-0-689-84879-7.
PreS-Gr 3–This beautifully rendered story of the Tuskegee Airmen combines love of the open sky with the will to overcome racial discrimination. A young boy recounts the challenges his African-American great-uncle had to overcome to get his first ride in an airplane, and his pride in his accomplishments radiates from the pages. A wonderful read-aloud, with many moments for discussion.
RYAN, Pam Muñoz. Amelia and Eleanor Go for a Ride. illus. by Brian Selznick. Scholastic. 1999. RTE $16.95. ISBN 978-0-590-96075-5.
Gr 2-5–A fictionalized account of the April night in 1933 when Amelia Earhart and Eleanor Roosevelt stole away from a White House dinner, commandeered an airplane, and flew over Washington, DC, in their evening gowns. Selznick's graphite and colored-pencil illustrations are full of period detail and evoke the black-and-white photographic images of the era. The spread depicting The Mall at night from the sky is absolutely luminous.
YOLEN, Jane. My Brothers' Flying Machine: Wilbur, Orville, and Me. illus. by Jim Burke. Little, Brown. 2003. ISBN 978-0-316-97159-1.
Gr 1-5–Yolen writes from the perspective of Katharine, the youngest Wright and very much a supporting cast member of the family. The story of her brothers' struggle to be the first men in flight is depicted with affection and determination, and is historically accurate. Burke's slightly muted oil and pencil illustrations are warm and inviting, and the large size of the book lends it well to read-alouds.
Remarkable Reads are produced by the editors of NoveList, NoveList K-8, and Book Index with Reviews (BIR), leading resources for readers' advisory services and collection development. For more information, see epnet.com.
