The holidays are upon us
Aviators are special people with a passion for flying and we like to share that passion. It’s especially difficult to find books that offer a quick read while building knowledge to entertain young readers. We think that we’ve pulled together a collection of fun and interesting books, focused on aviation and targeted for youngsters.
The books outlined in this review cover the needs of different ages starting at the coloring book level and ranging up to big kids above 21. We had to throw in a kids aviation DVD in case a book just won’t cut it for you this year. You might find these at a local bookstore and I’m positive you can purchase all of these over the internet. We have no partnerships or affiliations with any of the authors. I’m always up for a good aviation read, youth or otherwise, as long as it is not fiction. We can’t guarantee coverage but if we like the story we’ll try to get the word out.
Reviews By John Cilio - Visit vintageflyer.com for my email or snail mail address.
My First Airplane Coloring Book
Published by: Michael & Stefan Strasser
Coloring books hold a special charm and innocence often lost in today’s DVD frenzy toy world. They bring imagination and entertainment together for many children. As an aviator, it’s pretty hard to find a coloring book that might just plant the seed for becoming a pilot and can be just plain fun. Chicken Wings has made available a really fun coloring book that you can fill stockings or add as a birthday present anytime.
Want to keep a youngster busy for hours? Think about picking up a copy of this coloring book. The coloring characters are funny and the airplanes stretch across time and include helicopters and everything else. They have made it fun to color almost everything aviation related from aircraft tools, maps, and aircraft to the famous Chicken Wing characters. Your budding artist will enjoy several hours of coloring when they finish this unique coloring experience. It doesn’t even matter if the youngster is interested in aviation – the images are captivating and you can take it anywhere for that moment when you need instant entertainment on the go.
Lucky 13 – Survival in Space
Published by Boyds Mill Press
Reading Lucky 13, by Richard Hilliard, brought to life one of the greatest stories of survival and heroism of the space age. Astronauts Jim Lovell, Fred Haise, and Jack Swigert were launched into space for a fairly routine mission to explore the lunar surface. It was April 1970 and their mission was known as Apollo 13. Unfortunately, it was never completed. As they drew closer to the Moon the spacecraft was rocked by a violent explosion. Valuable oxygen burst from the spacecraft in the damage. Astronaut Jim Lovell radioed Mission Control with the now famous words, “Houston, we have a problem”.
All over the world people followed the plight of the astronauts wondering if they would freeze to death, would there be enough air could they get home alive? Young readers will see that three American lives were in danger, no one on earth could help and they were in a race against time. Illustrated for children, it is slightly oversized and begins the story with Jim Lovell as a youngster, sitting in the grass reading Science Fiction outer space stories. As the book progresses the story actually develops as two books within one. The younger children will see the large print story and colorful illustrations while in the side bar, more of the Apollo story unfolds in regular text as it corresponds to the same illustration. Parents can add a little more to the bedtime story with the sidebars.
Lucky 13 simplifies the complexity of rockets, space flight, mission control, astronauts and the turmoil of the Apollo families waiting for the loved ones to get home safely. A young reader will sense the trouble and difficulty these men faced and learn how heroes dealt with the problems given to them. Teamwork, careful planning and trust all come to life in a lively book that you will be asked to read as a nighttime story again and again.
By John Cilio
Three Across
The Great Transatlantic Air Race of 1927
Published by Calkins Creek
This early aviation story is seldom told and begins during the summer of 1927 when three pilots and their planes awaited destiny. Their challenge was to fly across the Atlantic non-stop. The prize was $25,000 if you were lucky enough to live through the challenge. The prize had been offered by Raymond Orteig, a wealthy French hotel owner, eight years earlier and many had attempted the dangerous adventure. Three aircraft were at Roosevelt Field and the nation wondered who would be first off on the daring date with destiny?
It’s easy to forget that flying in 1927 was a little different and the book successfully transports readers to a time when aircraft couldn’t yet sustain long-distance flights or transport many passengers. This delightful book focuses on three flights, all at the same airport, trying to win the same race across the Atlantic. Most bets were on the Columbia, - no not the space shuttle financed by ambitious Charles A. Levine and piloted by Clarence Chamberlin. Others thought that the America, boasting Artic explorer Richard E. Byrd would win the race. Few thought that the Spirit of St. Louis, piloted by unknown Charles Lindbergh, would see the lights of Paris first.
Three Across describes the complications involved in Lindbergh’s triumph and the problems in Chamberlain’s and Byrd’s flights, as well as the celebrations and debacles that ensued for all three pilots. Through well-documented narrative and wonderful seldom seen photographs, readers will sense the excitement and frustrations involved in competition. Although only one plane could be first, there is quite a story shared by the other pilots in the glory of extraordinary, heart-stopping flights.
Norman Finkelstein, framed the story in a way that should enthrall any competitive spirit and allows readers to develop some of their own conclusions. All three pilots changed aviation history and young teens reading this story will sense the excitement of these courageous aviation adventurers. It’s a book for everyone’s library who is interested in the art of competition — especially if you are a fan of aviation.
By John Cilio
Geezer and the Kid
Published by: LuLu Publishing
Geezer and the Kid is an adventure story that brings together a veteran pilot and his young daughter. The book begins with the pilot Irwin feeling a sense of mortality nearing age 62. He wanted to create a series of fantastic memories with his 11-year-old daughter so she could remember Dad in the years ahead.
Their adventure begins on the first day of summer as they take off on a ten day flight across the American southwest. As a reader, you feel like you’re in the back seat of their Cessna Cardinal as they lift off from their home airport in Los Angeles en route across the blistering Mojave Desert to the Barstow Daggett Airport. Later they crossed the Colorado River en route to Kingman, Arizona and then on to the south rim of the Grand Canyon. Each day is filled with adventures while it tells the story of two people, of different generations getting to know each other.
You’ll sense the challenging departure from Grand Canyon and the excitement of landing on a heavily overgrown runway in the remote town of Kayenta, Arizona in the heart of the Navajo Nation. As the days progress, they leave the barren desert and fly directly to the Rocky Mountains and the colorful town of Durango, Colorado. Later stops include Arizona and New Mexico and as the trip unfolds they and you meet a variety of colorful characters in each of the airports along the way.
As ten days draws to a close, the book becomes an interesting tale as father and daughter grow closer together and come to appreciate each other in a variety of different ways. Maybe the story will motivate you and your child to take off for an adventure of your own. You know that by the time your child is 11 they have probably already spent more than half of the time they will live at home.
By John Cilio
Visit vintageflyer.com for my
email or snail mail address.
“Can We Watch it Again?”
The Ultimate Stamp of Approval
Kids are the toughest of critics and if you’re the one in the-line-of-fire you might even say they’re painfully blunt. My husband sees the blunt end of that stick with every landing. That’s right; the little side-liners are back there tallying his scores with miniature scores boards. No, not really. But over the last couple of years we’ve heard their little voices through the mic “good landing dad!”, “dad, why were we swerving all over?”, or the occasional “that landing hurt my bum!” The man graciously takes each comment with a grin and a stiff chin.
On those occasions when they give their stamp of approval – well, you’re golden!
This last summer at Oshkosh’s AirVenture we found more than padded seats, air conditioning, and popsicles in the big red and white tent – we found Andy’s Airplanes. (www.andysairplanes.com). My family and I met Jon Pierre Francia, Creator/Producer of Andy’s Airplanes in that red and white tent, and besides the air conditioning and popsicles we found a great show!
Andy’s Airplanes promotes aviation to the next generation through an educational format that is highly entertaining covering geography, history, and culture hidden within the clever form of adventure. Sounds a lot like learning while having fun, doesn’t it? Jon Pierre Francia likes to call it “sneaky learning”, all I know is that my kids absolutely loved the show that day in the Andy’s Airplanes tent and were thrilled at Christmas when they unwrapped the DVD!
Andy’s Airplanes (www.andysairplanes.com) is a 30 minute show that combines animation and live action. Andy is an instantly loveable 8-year-old boy who loves to learn about, and fly airplanes. Together in every episode Andy and Yaygrr (an energetic ferret), fly a different airplane on a new aviation adventure to a new location meeting interesting people and learning about different cultures, science, technology, and geography – all before dinner. As a parent, this show is a no-brainer. Aviation and learning paired? Perfect.
Four years ago after having a very successful series called Signing Time, the now popular PBS series; Jon Pierre Francia’s (Creator/Producer of Andy’s Airplanes) wife asked him “what do you love more than anything in the world besides me?” “Airplanes”, he said.
The work began on Andy’s Airplanes with dozens of talented animators and 3D artists, and the Francia’s advertising agency relationships. Beyond all the technical work was the key aspect “kids want to identify with other adventurous kids, and parents are starving for good content,” commented Jon Pierre.
Now in it’s first year, Andy’s Airplanes educational DVD and interactive website are up and running at full speed.
“Exposing children to careers in aviation is an important component of the series”, says Jon Pierre Francia. “I want this to be a show that parents love, with lots of positive role models.” Each series will feature a different airplane and will visit a different part of the world, so children can learn about different types of airplanes and careers in aviation.”
When you go to Andy’s Airplanes website (www.andysairplanes.com), you’ll see a Pitts taking off as the website loads, and when completed the screen jumps to life with Andy standing in front of a hangar, his Pitts with its bold red color next to him. Click on the DVD trailer tab at the top left corner to see the movie trailer and you’ll be singing the Andy’s Airplanes song all day! “Join Andy as he takes to the skies to learn all about our world’s geography, history, and culture. Andy’s Airplanes; learning through the eyes of adventure!”
In the July 23, 2007 series debut my family and I saw at AirVenture, Andy Meets the Blue Angels, Andy and Yaygrr fly with the legendary Blue Angels and tour the Navy’s newest Nimitz-class aircraft carrier, the U.S.S. Ronald Reagan. This was the clincher for my son – he LOVES the Blue Angels! My kids still watch the show; in fact a viewing-a-day is typical. My favorite part about the show is the educational section at the end. Last night, we were watching a Discovery show about an aircraft carrier that would be sunk off of the Florida coast in the hopes it would turn into a reef. As we’re watching the show, I was informed by my kids that each link in the anchor chain weighs 130 lbs. - they learned that from the Andy’s Airplanes show.
That muggy day in July, I clearly remember leaving the blissful air conditioning of the Andy’s Airplane tent and thinking, “Finally! Aviation geared towards the little kids!”
You’ve no doubt heard the phrase “from the mouth of babes”; the word from my babes is “Andy’s Airplanes is awesome!”
By Heather Robillard. Heather and her family live and fly in New England. Their 1982 Saratoga is the perfect “minivan with wings”. Their favorite trips are out to the local airport diner, the beach, grandma’s house, fly-ins, and the yearly long-distance vacation. You can reach Heather via email at hrobiah@gmail.com.