Review by New York Times Review
For children intrigued by flight, Lyon has written an energetic and exciting book in rhyme about planes of all sorts : " Bi-planes / triplanes /gotta-love-the-sky-planes/ Prop planes /jet planes/ how-fast-can-youget-planes." With the look of 1930s travel posters, Wiggins's intensely colored pictures show planes at their most glamorous, zipping between storm clouds and swooping low over forest fires. Even the in-flight snacks look appealing. Perhaps the golden age of travel isn't over after all. DAREDEVIL The Daring Life of Betty Skelton Written and illustrated by Meghan McCarthy 48 pp. A Paula Wiseman Book/Simon & Schuster. $16.99. (Picture book, ages 4 to 8) In the 1930s, growing up near a Navy base in Pensacola, Fla., Betty Skelton fell in love with flight. A self-described "half-pint," Skelton nevertheless became a fearless stunt pilot, famous for cutting through a ribbon tied between two poles with her plane's propeller - while flying upside down. She later broke records in high-altitude flying, car racing and "boat jumping" - and trained as an astronaut. McCarthy's googly-eyed portraits make Skelton's story amusing as well as inspiring. JOURNEY Written and illustrated by Aaron Becker 40 pp. Candlewick Press. $15.99. (Picture book; ages 4 to 8) Though Becker has plenty of experience as an artist for films, "Journey" is his first book, and it's a masterwork. In a tale told solely through pictures, a lonely little girl in a dull, sepia-toned city picks up a red marker and draws a door on her bedroom wall. Through it, she enters a lushly detailed imaginary world where, with the marker's help, she floats and flies through a dramatic escapade and returns home with a friend. Though that marker will make you think of Crockett Johnson's " Harold and the Purple Crayon," Becker's book has a beauty distinctly its own. THE BOY AND THE AIRPLANE Written and illustrated by Mark Pett 40 pp. Simon & Schuster. $15.99. (Picture book; ages 4 to 10) Using a palette almost as quiet as his wordless text, Pett's witty if subdued picture book tells the story of a little boy who receives a toy airplane as a gift. After it lands out of reach on a roof, he tries everything he can think of (lasso, baseball, pogo stick, fireman's hose - even a ladder!) to get the plane down. Finally, the flight of a winged seed suggests another solution. Patience is amply rewarded, for both boy and reader. FLYING SOLO How Ruth Elder Soared Into Americas Heart By Julie Cummins Illustrated by Malene R. Laugesen Roaring Brook Press. $17.99. (Picture book; ages 6 to 9) In the 1920s, before Amelia Earhart flew across the Atlantic, Ruth Elder, a beauty queen with ambition, attempted a similar feat. Though she and her co-pilot had to ditch their plane, American Girl, two-thirds of the way across, Elder's pioneering spirit made her famous. She starred in two silent movies and took part in the first crosscountry air race flown by women, dismissively known as the Powder Puff Derby. Laugesen's big, dramatic illustrations give the reader a good sense of the landscapes - and fashions - of the early-20th-century setting. SARAH HARRISON SMITH ONLINE A slide show of this week's illustrated books at nytimes.com/books. Sarah Harrison Smith reviews several books for children about aviation and flying, including "Planes Fly!" by George Ella Lyon; "Daredevil: The Daring Life of Betty Skelton," by Meghan McCarthy; "Journey," written by Aaron Becker; "The Boy and the Airplane," written by Mark Pett, and "Flying Solo: How Ruth Elder Soared Into America's Heart," by Julie Cummins.
Copyright (c) The New York Times Company [July 14, 2013]
Review by Booklist Review
As a child in the 1930s, Betty Skelton played with toy airplanes and longed to become a pilot. And she did, taking her first solo flight at the age of 12 and getting her license at 16. With no opportunities to fly for a commercial airline or the U.S. Navy, she became a stunt pilot. Skelton, who set an altitude record in 1951 and retired soon afterward, was invited to undergo training tests with the Mercury 7 astronauts, though NASA wasn't ready to send a woman to space. Painted in acrylics, the simplified illustrations feature big-eyed, amiable characters. The text is simplified, too, which makes it accessible to young children but sometimes leaves readers wondering about what was omitted. Short quotes from Skelton add her voice to the narrative. The book's charm lies mainly in the illustrations, such as the cockpit scene in which Skelton flies barefoot, her red toenails gleaming. An attractive picture book introducing a lesser-known woman in American aviation.--Phelan, Carolyn Copyright 2010 Booklist
From Booklist, Copyright (c) American Library Association. Used with permission.
Review by Publisher's Weekly Review
McCarthy has made a career out of picture-book biographies of unexpected subjects, and this thoroughly inspiring portrait of Betty June Skelton (1926-2011) reveals a woman who embodies a "need for speed." Direct quotations from Skelton fill her story with personality. She was obsessed with flying from an early age, and she made the newspapers for a solo flight on her 16th birthday-never mind that her father had already plopped her into a cockpit four years earlier. "It wasn't quite legal then so I couldn't tell anybody," she recalled. Skelton went on to break records on land, sea, and air, and she even had a shot at becoming the first woman in space. In McCarthy's succinct prose and wide-eyed acrylic cartooning, Skelton comes through as a woman eager to break barriers and try anything. Ages 4-8. (June) (c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.
(c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved
Review by School Library Journal Review
Gr 1-4-Betty Skelton grew up in the 1930s during a time when airplanes were still very new-and very exciting. She was intrigued by flight from an early age and lived for adventure. When Betty set a goal, such as learning to fly, she didn't let anything slow her down-especially not the idea that girls shouldn't fly airplanes. This thrilling biography highlights Betty's accomplishments not only in the air, but on the racetrack, in the water, and training with NASA's Mercury 7 astronauts. Susie Berneis's spirited narration perfectly complements Betty's adventurous story. As she describes Betty's many accomplishments, the roar of engines and the whirr of propellers echo in the background. VERDICT Students will be amazed by all that Betty did, and this story of a lesser-known aviation and auto-racing pioneer will be a wonderful addition to biography collections.-Anne Bozievich, Friendship Elementary School, Glen Rock, PA (c) Copyright 2015. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
(c) Copyright Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Review by Horn Book Review
In the 1930s, when airplanes were still new, young Betty Skelton of Pensacola, Florida, played with toy planes when other girls played with dolls. She yearned to fly, and she did. At age twelve, she took an illegal solo flight, then celebrated her sixteenth birthday with a solo flight as a licensed flyer. She wanted to become a commercial pilot or to fly in the navy, but those avenues were closed to females, so she went on to aerobatic flying, always accompanied by her dog, Little Tinker. In flying and later endeavors, Betty had a passion for breaking records. In fact, she became known as the "First Lady of Firsts." She broke an altitude record, reaching 29,050 feet; she got into auto racing and broke the women's land speed record with a jet-powered car on Utah's Bonneville Salt Flats; she was the first female boat jumper; and she even trained with the Mercury 7 astronauts but, again, was thwarted by her gender. The sometimes choppy prose is balanced by a soaring tale of a little girl with big dreams, brought to life with pithy quotes from Skelton and in McCarthy's signature illustrations featuring charming bug-eyed characters and a vivid palette. Back matter -- "Fun Facts," "Betty Quotes," a timeline, and a bibliography -- rounds out a fine overview that introduces young readers to a new hero. dean schneider (c) Copyright 2013. The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
(c) Copyright The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Review by Kirkus Book Review
Ever hear of Betty Skelton? Most people haven't, yet this woman was a whirling daredevil who liked to go fast and broke records in aviation and auto racing. In the 1930s, most girls played with dolls, but not Betty: She was obsessed with airplanes, and at age 16, she soloed. She wanted to be a commercial pilot and fly in the Navy, but she was laughed at. So she became a stunt pilot with her dog, Little Tinker, by her side and no shoes on her feet. In 1951 she broke an altitude record. Then she traded planes for race cars and drove into a new career, breaking the women's record at the Bonneville Salt Flats with a speed of 315.74 mph. Those challenges weren't enough for Betty, and she went on to driving a stunt boat. What was next? She trained to be an astronaut, but NASA wasn't ready to send a female into space. Even so, Betty had "proven that women could do it as well as men." The acrylic cartoon illustrations play up Betty's spunk and derring-do with McCarthy's trademark googly eyed expressions. Her achievements are stated in the straightforward narrative, but the author allows readers to tap into her personality through use of quotes: When Betty flew higher than Mount Everest, she said: "My feet darn near froze to death." McCarthy has spun an adventurous story about this little-known woman, highlighting her groundbreaking triumphs with respectful whimsy. ("Fun Facts," additional quotes, timeline, bibliography) (Picture book/biography. 6-9)]] Copyright Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
