Review by Booklist Review
There's no shortage of books for children about flight, but this title offers perspectives usually not covered. It gives a chronological history of flight, with each chapter devoted to a specific event or innovation in air travel or space exploration. Starting with the Montgolfier brothers' hot-air balloon that first allowed humans to fly, the text features many expected milestones, such as the Wright brothers' first flight, Goddard's rockets, the first moon landing, and the space shuttle missions. The most popular chapters may be those that highlight more unusual topics in flight history, from the development in the 1930s of the first radio-controlled UAVs (unmanned aerial vehicles), more commonly known today as drones, to the experimental, privately built SpaceShipOne, designed to carry people into suborbital spaceflight. Because this book was created in partnership with the Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum, it features numerous archival photos and photos of the air and space crafts in the museum. A soaring read on its own and a must before visiting the museum.--Leeper, Angela Copyright 2016 Booklist
From Booklist, Copyright (c) American Library Association. Used with permission.
Review by Publisher's Weekly Review
Grove, chief of museum learning at the Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum, follows First Flight Around the World with a tour of aeronautical history that cites 27 milestones. Grove begins with the launch of the first "manned" flight of a hot-air balloon at Versailles in 1783 (the balloon's occupants were a sheep, duck, and rooster), continuing on to the Wright brothers' Flyer, Robert Goddard's rocket, the 1947 breaking of the sound barrier, and numerous space missions. (Grove even gives a spot to Star Trek's starship Enterprise, noting that "[Gene] Roddenberry's vision of men and women of difference races, nationalities, and even species working together... influenced real spaceflight." Period photographs, illustrations, and documents complement a crisply written and informative look at the past and present of flight, with glimpses of its future. Ages 10-14. (June) © Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.
(c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved
Review by School Library Journal Review
Gr 5-7-With particular reference to the collections of the National Air and Space museum, for which he works as an educator, Grove identifies and describes 27 significant vehicles or technological advances in the history of flight. Arranged roughly in chronological order, these range from the real or proposed gas balloons of 19th-century American inventor Thaddeus Lowe and the Wright Flyer to the likewise privately built SpaceShipOne, which flew in 2004. Though the author limits his field of view by only rarely looking beyond the United States, he does include in his tally pilotless craft (drones) going back to the pre-World War II era, NASA's humongous Full Scale Wind Tunnel, and-just for fun-the Starship Enterprise. The entries offer quick but lucid overviews of each craft or advance's development and capabilities, with notes on record-breaking feats and nods to renowned aviators (men and women both), astronauts, and engineers. Aside from a poorly chosen advertisement showing a stereotypical Native American chief saluting a passenger plane flying overhead, the generous array of period photographs, documents, and newspaper stories support both the author's descriptions of all the high-tech gadgetry and his observations on the profound changes that powered flight has wrought on society in general. The end matter is adequate but skimpy, with a time line that cuts off in 2011 and a seven-item reading list. VERDICT A limited but handsomely produced survey that should be popular with readers who have their eyes on the skies.-John Peters, Children's Literature Consultant, New York City © Copyright 2016. 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
From eighteenth-century ballooning through present-day developments in private space travel, important events in aviation and space flight are covered in chronological order. Each discussion includes a few pages of narrative prose highlighting the importance of the milestone as well as plentiful illustrations and photographs providing additional detail and context. The colorful presentation and clear organization make for easy reading. Timeline. Bib., glos., ind. (c) Copyright 2017. 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.
