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Fascination with flight is as old as mankind itself. Children in particular are fascinated with the concept of flight, whether it’s watching an airplane make a landing, seeing the liftoff of a space shuttle, or watching a hawk soar. This month’s books share the theme of flight and aviation, with titles to spark a toddler’s imagination and historic lessons for older kids. For ages 2-5 I Can Fly Written by Ruth Krauss; illustrated by Mary Blair (Random House, hardcover, 48 pages, $12.95) Random House has reissued this book, originally published in 1951, in a sparkling new hardcover edition. The charming tale centers on an imaginative little girl who can fly like a bird, squirm like a worm and grab like a crab. Young children will love the rhyming word play. The illustrations by Mary Blair, who was a key artist in several Disney classic animated films, are vivid and amusing. Quack Written by Arthur Yorinks; illustrated by Adrienne Yorinks (Harry N. Abrams Inc., hardcover, 24 pages, $12.95) This terrifically imaginative book follows little duck Quack as he excitedly beholds the moon, then builds a rocket ship for travel. Once there, however, he finds he misses his friends on Earth, and they all miss him, too. Written almost solely in “Quack” language, the author leaves it to the imagination of the reader to fill in the “human” words. The book is beautifully illustrated with quilts created by Adrienne Yorinks from the vintage fabrics she collects. The Little Airplane Written and illustrated by Lois Lenski (Random House, hardcover, 46 pages, $11.95 Originally issued in 1938, this book by seminal children’s author and illustrator Lois Lenski centers on Pilot Small, spending the day with him as he flies his prop plane. It follows him step by step through his flight: as he prepares the plane, does a takeoff, soars into the clouds, makes an emergency landing, fixes his gas line, and takes off again, coming back to make a perfect three-point landing. The illustrations are charming and the flight information is quite thorough, which may be too much for some children. Others who have a true interest in flight will be fascinated by the detail. For ages 6-10 Joe-Joe’s First Flight Written by Natasha Anastasia Tarpley; illustrated by E.B. Lewis (Alfred A. Knopf, hardcover, 30 pages, $15.95) It’s the 1920s, during a time of segregation in the United States. Young Joe-Joe’s father works at the local airport in town doing maintenance work; he’s been promised a chance to fly, but as a black man, that promise is never delivered to him. Joe-Joe can’t help but dreaming of flight, even though the years of dashed promises have cast a pall over the town. In his dreams one night, Joe-Joe takes flight and heads to the moon in the hopes that her light will shine again on his town. The tale is beautifully told in evocative language, and the accompanying watercolor paintings are exquisite. For ages 9 and older The Wright Brothers for Kids Written by Mary Kay Carson (Chicago Review Press, paperback, 160 pages, $14.95) Children can explore the physics of flight along with Orville and Wilbur Wright in this imaginative book that combines history with science. The story takes the Wright brothers from their bicycle-making business in the 1890s through their breakthrough first flight at Kitty Hawk. There are dozens of accompanying activities for kids to learn with, everything from making a curved kite to taking simple items like a sheet of paper or a magazine to learn about lift versus gravity and thrust versus drag. Interspersed are quick lessons about other aviation pioneers and breakthroughs; the book is full of historic photos and illustrations. Rider in the Sky: How an American Cowboy Built England’s First Airplane Written by John Hulls; illustrated by David Weitzman (Crown Publishers, hardcover, 102 pages, $16.95) Samuel Cody was a real-life frontiersman in the late 19th century who could shoot, ride and was tough as nails. He also had a fascination with flight and kite-making and would soon be on the forefront of that new frontier. He joined the Wright brothers and other early aviation pioneers in their determination to build airplanes. The story of how he ended up creating Britain’s first airplane and winning the hearts of the British people is an inspirational one that older readers will enjoy. Race for the Sky: The Kitty Hawk Diaries of Johnny Moore Written by Dan Gutman (Simon & Schuster, hardcover, 178 pages, $15.95) The diaries of Johnny Moore provide a boy’s-eye view to the doings of Orville and Wilbur Wright in Kill Devil Hills and Kitty Hawk, N.C., where the Ohio brothers were soon to create aviation history. Moore was there when the Wrights first arrived in 1900, and he was there Dec. 17, 1903, when they first got their airplane to fly. The book is written in journal-entry style, and is filled with the grammatical errors of a young boy. But it’s an innovative way of looking at a historic event, one that children can relate to. Wild About Flying Written by Bruce Harris; illustrated by David Marshall (Firefly Books, hardcover, 232 pages, $35) Though not technically a children’s book, this beautifully produced volume is encyclopedic in its information about every major aviation event and personality of the past 100 years, from Charles Lindbergh and Amelia Earhart to Howard Hughes and John Glenn. The artwork is terrific, with fascinating portraits of the pioneers and their aircraft. A must-have for the true aviation enthusiast. |
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