The Flying Man: Otto Lilienthal, the World's First Pilot by Mike Downs

The Flying Man: Otto Lilienthal, the World's First Pilot
by Mike Downs; Illustrated by David Holm
Astra Young Readers. An Imprint of Astra Books for Young Readers. 2022

Otto Lilienthal grew up in Anklam, Germany.  At age 14, in 1862, balloons were the only way people could fly. "Scientists, teachers, and news reporters everywhere said flying was impossible." The teenage Otto wanted to prove them wrong.

In this delightful picture book biography, readers are introduced to the German aviator who, with his younger brother, Gustav, spent their free time trying to build a flying machine. Using his skills as an engineer, Otto would spend the next thirty years trying to bring his dream to fruition. Eventually, Otto would earn the title of the world's first pilot.

In the afterword, Mike Downs explains that had the Wright Brothers not read about Otto Lilienthal's achievements, they would never have invented the powered airplane. 

Holm's colorful illustrations, created in digital watercolor, colored pencils and gouache and rendered in Photoshop, support the text. 

Included is an afterword, and author's note. The book lacks dates, source notes, and a bibliography, yet, it will spark curiosity in young readers. 

Jack Knight’s Brave Flight by Jill Esbaum

Jack Knight’s Brave Flight: How One Gutsy Pilot Saved the U.S. Air Mail Service
by Jill Esbaum; Illustrated by Stacy Innerst
Calkins Creek. An imprint of Astra Books for Young Readers. 2022


At 10:44 p.m., on February 22, 1921, in North Platte, Nebraska Jack Knight adjusted his goggles and took off in his open cockpit airplane with six sacks of the U.S. Mail. He thought he’d just have to fly as far as Omaha, but, when he reached Omaha at 1:10 a.m., Jack learned that his replacement couldn’t reach the airport. To save the U.S. Air Mail service, Jack Knight is their only hope. Will he be able to stay awake and fly 830 miles to Chicago? 

In 1921, lawmakers decided to cut funding for the U.S. Air Mail Service as a reaction to the numerous plane crashes. Officials and pilots, outrages by this decision, hatched a plan to save the service. They would prove flying was the fastest way to move mail from coast to coast. What they didn’t expect was a blizzard, sub-zero temperatures. Lucky for them, and us, there was Jack Knight!

Each page is filled with Innerst’s historically accurate illustrations done in watercolor, ink, pencil, rubber stamps, and some digital (Photoshop). They certainly add much excitement to this already thrilling informational picture book. A real page-turner. 

Included is an author’s note, timeline, bibliography, and illustrator’s note.

Even high school students would appreciate hearing this true story of grit and determination.

Born To Fly: The First Women’s Air Race Across America Steve Sheinkin

Born To Fly: The First Women’s Air Race Across America

Steve Sheinkin; Illustrated by Bijou Karman

Roaring Brook Press. 2019

Grades 5 up

In his usual flair for mixing facts with primary sources (including lots of quotes), Sheinkin once again has written a nonfiction book that is hard to put down. 

In 1929, just twenty-six years after the Wright Brothers invented the first airplane and nine years since women won the right to vote, a group of trailblazing female pilots joined the first air race across America: the Women’s Air Derby. The race began in Santa Monica, and criss-crossed the U.S. to end in Cleveland, Ohio. Twenty women had dreams of being the winner, but only one would grab the coveted title. 

Women pilots, all white, who take center stage throughout the book include Florence “Pancho” Barnes, Marvel Crosson, Amelia Earhart, Ruth Elder, Ruth Nichols, Louise Thaden, Bobbi Trout, and Elinor Smith. We learn of their first steps to becoming a pilot in the days when planes were made of wood and the sport of flying was considered deadly.

The race itself was daring. Most of the planes were two-seaters with open cockpits, making them exposed to all the elements. Pilots only had paper road maps for navigation. The women pilots enjoyed a sense of camaraderie even as they suspected their planes were being sabotaged. (Marvel Crosson, a strong contender to win, was the only pilot who died during the race. Many suspected the cause of carbon monoxide poisoning). Just who didn’t want these women to succeed? 

Each page of this suspenseful narrative will find readers on the edge of their seats (I know I was) wondering who will win the race, who will survive, and how these daring women, who refused to stay in the kitchen, opened up so many possibilities for equality for those of us who came behind them. 

Historic photos, along with Karman’s black & white sketches, are visually appealing. Unfortunately, not all the photos and sketches are captioned. 

Back matter includes source notes, works cited, and index. Sheinkin offers a lot of detail about the pilots. It would have been helpful if Sheinkin included mini biographies of each pilot highlighted in the text. 

In the last chapter Sheinkin poses this question: “So why is Amelia Earhart the one name everyone knows? She deserves the love, but so does Louise Thaden, Marvel Crosson, Pancho Barns, Elinor Smith, and so many more. Why is Amelia Earhart the one who kids dress up for Halloween?” Sure. She made two history-making Atlantic flights and had a husband, G.P. Putnam who was a marketing genius. “But the biggest factor in Earhart’s lasting fame is her mysterious disappearance.” 

“Another face-paced history” by award winning author, Sheinkin. Click here to watch the book trailer. 

To review this book, I borrowed a copy from my local public library.