Synopses & Reviews
Orville and Wilbur Wright were a fascinating pair. Not only did they invent, build, and fly the first airplane, they were also idiosyncratic individuals who had a unique relationship, sharing a home, a bank account, and a business throughout their lives.
Their story is portrayed here in brief, accessible chapters, beginning with their childhood fascination with flight and love of problem solving, then detailing their early experiments and dangerous trial runs in North Carolina, and ending with their successful flights of 1903.
This well-researched and personable biography is illustrated with elegant watercolors by flight enthusiast and noted artist Robert Andrew Parker, and has been published just in time for the 100th anniversary of the Wright brothers' first flight. Includes timeline, endnotes, bibliography.
Review
"Old writes in a clear, straightforward manner, using intriguing details to enliven the account without distorting the larger picture....The innocence and optimism reflected in illustrations catch the tone of the story....This well-designed book provides a fine introduction to the Wright brothers." Carolyn Phelan, Booklist
Review
"[A] rather dry biography....The exhaustive details are well supported by Parker's sophisticated ink-and-wash illustrations....His drawings of the brothers' Kitty Hawk attempts soar off the page and prove more inspiring than the academic tone of the writing. For young history and flying buffs, this book capably delivers the facts, then sends imaginations into flight on the wings of the illustrations." Publishers Weekly
Review
"Old aims for a (somewhat) younger audience with this fresh account of the brothers' early years and their methodical quest....[R]eads comfortably like a story, but is clearly nonfiction. Parker...uses his loosely drawn watercolors to add more atmosphere than information." Kirkus Reviews
Review
"[Old] carefully and almost effortlessly helps youngsters to understand the steps [the brothers took]....Parker's characteristic watercolors do more than inform Old's straightforward story. They help to set an inventive tone...as if something might be going to happen. And for young readers, something indeed does." School Library Journal
About the Author
Wendie C. Old is a full-time librarian and the author of seven biographies for middle-grade readers. She lives in Baltimore, Maryland.
Robert Andrew Parker has illustrated more than seventy books for children, including The Hatmaker's Sign (Orchard Books) and, most recently, Sleds On.