by Anne on February 14, 2010
Katherine Stinson Otero, aviator
Feb. 14, 1891-July 8, 1977

Katherine Stinson Otero, High Flyer by Neila Skinner Petrick, illustrated by Daggi Wallace (Pelican, 2006)
High flyer, indeed. Stinson was the fourth woman in the U.S. to earn a pilot’s license and performed throughout the world. But when she was denied permission to fly for the armed services in WWI, she raised money for the effort by flying in exhibitions.
The U.S. Centennial of Flight Commission posts a bio of Stinson on their site.
by Anne on February 4, 2010
Charles Lindbergh, aviator
Feb. 4, 1902-Aug. 26, 1974
Flight by Robert Burleigh, illustrated by Mike Wimmer (Putnam Juvenile paperback, 1997)
This is one of my all-time favorite picture book biographies. It is the dramatic account of Lindbergh’s solitary flight across the Atlantic in 1927 with picture-perfect artwork.
Information about the flight, flight timeline, Spirit of St. Louis, photos, documents, articles, and biographies can be found at CharlesLindbergh.com.
by Anne on January 26, 2010

Bessie Coleman, aviator
Jan. 26, 1892-Apr. 30, 1926
Talkin’ About Bessie: The Story of Aviator Elizabeth Coleman by Nikki Grimes, illustrated by E. B. Lewis (Orchard, 2002)
The first African-American woman airplane pilot’s story is told in approximately two-dozen fictionalized poems a.k.a. eulogies about her life.
PBS features a bio and photo of Coleman on their Fly Girls page.
by Anne on August 19, 2009
Orville Wright, pioneer of flight
Aug. 19, 1871-Jan. 30, 1948
Into the Air: The Story of the Wright Brothers’ First Flight by Robert Burleigh, illustrated by Bill Wylie (Silver Whistle/Harcourt, 2002)
Trial and error. And lots of perseverance and smarts. That’s what it took to get the first successful flying machine off the ground. Comic-book style art brings the Wright’s triumph to life.
Find an online biography of Wright at NASA as well as information at the Wright Brothers National Memorial.
Amelia Earhart, aviator
July 24, 1897-July 2, 1937 (missing)
Sky Pioneer: A Photobiography of Amelia Earhart by Corinne Szabo (National Geographic Children’s Books, reprint, 2007)
What happened to Earhart and her plane? Though the answer remains a mystery, this book takes readers on a journey of what is known about her.
Tour the Official Site of Amelia Earhart to learn more about her life, achievements and disappearance.