Product Description

When Bessie Coleman was a child, she wanted to be in school -- not in the cotton fields of Texas, helping her family earn money. She wanted to be somebody significant in the world. So Bessie did everything she could to learn under the most challenging of circumstances. At the end of every day in the fields she checked the foreman's numbers -- made sure his math was correct. And this was just the beginning of a life of hard work and dedication that really paid off: Bessie became the first African-American to earn a pilot's license. She was somebody.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #202779 in Books
• Published on: 2004-01-06
• Released on: 2004-01-06
• Original language: English
• Dimensions: .17" h x 7.98" w x 9.64" l, .32 pounds
• Binding: Perfect Paperback
• 40 pages

From Publishers Weekly
Written for an older audience than aimed for in either Lynn Joseph's Fly, Bessie, Fly or Reeve Lindbergh's Nobody Owns the Sky!: The Story of 'Brave Bessie' Coleman, this informative and insightful picture-book biography of the African-American aviator merits attention. Borden and Kroeger, co-authors of Paperboy, stress the adversities of Bessie Coleman's childhood in rural Texas at the turn of the 20th century and emphasize her extraordinary perseverance. As a girl, Bessie struggles to get an education, even when she must pick cotton instead of attending school; later, at 18, Bessie enrolls in "catch-up classes" and is placed in sixth grade at a private college, but her money runs out after only one term. Undefeated in her determination to become "somebody," Bessie eventually moves to Chicago in 1915 and, later, learns of French women who piloted planes during WWI. From that point on, Bessie resolves to fly; when no American pilots agree to teach her, she saves up money and enrolls at a school in France, becoming the first African-American to earn a pilot's license. At once breezy and grounded, the rhythmic text is arranged in short, verse-like lines, which should encourage reluctant readers to climb on board. Flavin's (Pushing Up the Sky) pebbly gouaches are atmospheric if a bit stiff, capitalizing on Borden and Kroeger's optimism. A flight well worth taking. Ages 9-12. (Jan.)
Copyright 2000 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From School Library Journal

K-Gr 4-The authors' flair for imparting history soars in this biography of the first African American to earn a pilot's license. From her difficult childhood spent picking cotton in Texas to her grand achievements in aviation, Coleman's personality shines through. The warm illustrations done in gouache on colored paper mix exciting images of the aviator flying her plane with quieter glimpses of her interacting with friends and family members. The straightforward sentence structure keeps the action moving and will capture reluctant readers. Coleman's affinity for children will captivate youngsters, who will freely mourn the early demise of the "trŠs chic! aviatrix" who often told others, "You can be somebody, too." A first-rate follow-up to Borden's Good-Bye, Charles Lindbergh (McElderry, 1998).-Gay Lynn Van Vleck, Henrico County Library, Glen Allen, VA

Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information, Inc.

From Booklist
Ages 6-9. This short, highly illustrated biography introduces aviatrix Bessie Coleman, who in 1921 became the first African American with a pilot's license. Coleman, who picked cotton as a child in Texas, moved to Chicago as a young woman and was seized with the desire to fly an airplane. When that opportunity was denied to her in America, she saved her money, learned French, and moved to France, where she earned an international pilot's license. Throughout the text, the authors emphasize Coleman's determination to "be somebody," a resounding inspirational message for youngsters. The writing is clear and informative. Even the potentially difficult section on Coleman's death in a plane crash is handled with plainspoken dignity. Flavin contributes a series of soft-edged gouache paintings that express beauty and harmony in every aspect of Coleman's life. Pair this with Reeve Lindbergh's Nobody Owns the Sky (1996) for the same age group. Carolyn Phelan
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