Fly, Bessie, Fly

An inspiring biography of Bessie Coleman explores the life of the first black woman to earn a pilot's license, from her childhood in Texas to her aviation studies in France, where she ultimately achieved her goal of flying a plane.

Kindergarten-Grade 3-A picture-book biography about the first black female aviator. The author begins with Coleman's childhood and ends with the successful launch of her career, mentioning her premature death only in an author's note. Most double-page spreads contain a full-page illustration opposite nearly a full-page of text. The pen-and-ink and watercolor pictures take full advantage of the watercolor palette, showing brightly clad people in engaging settings. Puffy clouds float across skies that range from teal to lavender, royal blue to gray. The text relies heavily on dialogue. Although some excerpts from letters are included, no source notes are given for them or for a recurring refrain that Bessie sings several times. This accessible book is more substantial than Reeve Lindbergh's Nobody Owns the Sky (Candlewick, 1996) and is an adequate choice for those who don't mind poetic license in a biography.
Faith Brautigam, Gail Borden Public Library, Elgin, IL
Copyright 1998 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Joseph (Jump Up Time, p. 1119, etc.) uses a strong, steady present-tense narration to tell the story of Bessie Coleman, African-American, Texan, and world's first black woman aviator. What makes this treatment appealing is that Coleman's life lends itself to hyperbole, but Joseph reigns it in, imbuing the story with power and dignity. It will make readers angry at the injustices of the era: Jim Crow laws, whites-only ticket lines, Coleman's trip to France to get her pilot's license because her aspirations were considered absurd in the US. Joseph allows inspiration to form from a quiet presentation of facts; adding to the aura of possibility and grace under fire are Buchanan's sure, atmospheric ink-and-watercolor illustrations. (bibliography) (Picture book/biography. 4-8) -- Copyright ©1998, Kirkus Associates, LP. All rights reserved.