by Marissa Moss and illustrated by Carl Angel ‧ RELEASE DATE: Aug. 11, 2009
Maggie Gee longed to fly—but she grew up in the 1930s, when many women were not allowed to pilot planes. Instead, she watched in rapture at the airport, soaking up every detail of flight. After many years of dreaming, World War II suddenly changed Maggie’s life forever. To serve her country, she joined the Women Airforce Service Pilots—she was finally able to fly. Maggie was only one of two Chinese-American women in the WASP and was on occasion mistaken for an enemy pilot. But that never dampened her spirit. She just climbed back in her plane and looped through the sky. Moss tells Maggie’s story in first-person narration, giving the text an immediate and personal tone, although the liberal and uncredited use of dialogue places this squarely in the realm of fiction. Angel’s bold, bright acrylics burst forth with Maggie’s determination and passion. In one spread, Maggie stands in a field with arms held wide—as her shadow casts the form of the plane she yearns to fly. An inspirational tale of an inspirational woman. (author’s note, photos) (Picture book. 6-10)
Pub Date: Aug. 11, 2009
ISBN: 978-1-58246-280-6
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Tricycle
Review Posted Online: June 24, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 15, 2009
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by Shana Corey ; illustrated by Red Nose Studio ‧ RELEASE DATE: March 8, 2016
Absolutely wonderful in every way.
A long-forgotten chapter in New York City history is brilliantly illuminated.
In mid-19th-century New York, horses and horse-drawn vehicles were the only means of transportation, and the din created by wheels as they rumbled on the cobblestones was deafening. The congestion at intersections threatened the lives of drivers and pedestrians alike. Many solutions were bandied about, but nothing was ever done. Enter Alfred Ely Beach, an admirer of “newfangled notions.” Working in secret, he created an underground train powered by an enormous fan in a pneumatic tube. He built a tunnel lined with brick and concrete and a sumptuously decorated waiting room for passenger comfort. It brought a curious public rushing to use it and became a great though short-lived success, ending when the corrupt politician Boss Tweed used his influence to kill the whole project. Here is science, history, suspense, secrecy, and skulduggery in action. Corey’s narrative is brisk, chatty, and highly descriptive, vividly presenting all the salient facts and making the events accessible and fascinating to modern readers. The incredibly inventive multimedia illustrations match the text perfectly and add detail, dimension, and pizazz. Located on the inside of the book jacket is a step-by-step guide to the creative process behind these remarkable illustrations.
Absolutely wonderful in every way. (author’s note, bibliography, Web resources) (Informational picture book. 6-10)Pub Date: March 8, 2016
ISBN: 978-0-375-87071-2
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Schwartz & Wade/Random
Review Posted Online: Dec. 21, 2015
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Jan. 1, 2016
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by Richard Collingridge ; illustrated by Richard Collingridge ‧ RELEASE DATE: July 31, 2018
A fair choice, but it may need some support to really blast off.
This rocket hopes to take its readers on a birthday blast—but there may or may not be enough fuel.
Once a year, a one-seat rocket shoots out from Earth. Why? To reveal a special congratulatory banner for a once-a-year event. The second-person narration puts readers in the pilot’s seat and, through a (mostly) ballad-stanza rhyme scheme (abcb), sends them on a journey toward the sun, past meteors, and into the Kuiper belt. The final pages include additional information on how birthdays are measured against the Earth’s rotations around the sun. Collingridge aims for the stars with this title, and he mostly succeeds. The rhyme scheme flows smoothly, which will make listeners happy, but the illustrations (possibly a combination of paint with digital enhancements) may leave the viewers feeling a little cold. The pilot is seen only with a 1960s-style fishbowl helmet that completely obscures the face, gender, and race by reflecting the interior of the rocket ship. This may allow readers/listeners to picture themselves in the role, but it also may divest them of any emotional connection to the story. The last pages—the backside of a triple-gatefold spread—label the planets and include Pluto. While Pluto is correctly labeled as a dwarf planet, it’s an unusual choice to include it but not the other dwarfs: Ceres, Eris, etc. The illustration also neglects to include the asteroid belt or any of the solar system’s moons.
A fair choice, but it may need some support to really blast off. (Picture book. 6-8)Pub Date: July 31, 2018
ISBN: 978-1-338-18949-0
Page Count: 32
Publisher: David Fickling/Phoenix/Scholastic
Review Posted Online: April 15, 2018
Kirkus Reviews Issue: May 1, 2018
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