Descriptions, Reviews, etc.
Description:
Amelia Earhart is a legend in the field of aviation, and no accomplishment of hers is more acclaimed than her unparalleled 1932 solo flight across the Atlantic. Award-winning author Burleigh captures every nuance of her remarkable journey in this picture book filled with vivid illustrations by Minor. Full color.
Brief description:
Wendell Minor has illustrated dozens of picture books, and his work has won countless awards and is in permanent collections of such institutions as the Museum of American Illustration and the Library of Congress. His cover illustrations have graced some of the most significant novels of our time by authors such as Toni Morrison, David McCullough, and James Michener. He lives in Washington, Connecticut. Visit him online at MinorArt.com.
Review Quotes: Night Flight
Written by Robert Burleigh and illustrated by Wendell Minor
A worthy new addition to the recent spate of books about the famous aviatrix, Burleigh's story
concentrates on Earhart's 1932 solo flight from Newfoundland to Ireland, placing compelling poetic
emphasis on her single-hearted struggle. "Why? Because 'women must try to do things as men have
tried, '" writes Burleigh, quoting Earhart. Terse two-sentence stanzas tell a story focused upon the flight's
trials: a sudden storm ("the sky unlocks"), ice buildup on the plane's wings, a precipitous plunge toward
the Atlantic's frothing surface, and a cracked exhaust pipe ("The friendly night becomes a graph of fear").
The loneliness of the effort is finally relieved over a farmer's field, where Amelia lands and says, "Hi, I've
come from America." Minor's illustrations maintain tension by alternating between cockpit close-ups and wide views of the plane crossing the foreboding ocean. Predominant reds and blues convey the pure excitement of the nail-biting journey. An afterword, along with Internet resources, a bibliography, and a column of Earhart quotes, increases the book's value for curious children who might want more. Finally, Minor's endpapers, with a well-drawn map and mechanical illustration of the plane Earhart called the"little red bus," also work to inspire further learning.
-- Karen Cruze BOOKLIST, February 2011, *STAR
