Flying machines How the Wright brothers soared

The history of aviation gets enthusiastic treatment in this Science Comics series title. Narrated by Katherine Wright, sister to Orville and Wilbur, Wilgus and Brooks' engaging account of the development of modern aircraft covers key historical moments and figures as well as some of the science behind the designs. While the spreads in which Katherine and other airplane designers explain concepts can get a little wordy, they add very helpful context for how each of the advancements, from the Wrights' movable rudder to the invention of the aileron to modern turbojet engines, helped improve air travel. Brooks' depictions of aircraft are detailed and nicely labeled, and they come to life as they zip (or stutter and lurch) through the panels. The Wrights' competition with blustery European aeronauts both enlivens the story line and calls attention to the rapid pace of advancement once early airplanes finally got off the ground. With infectious enthusiasm, clearly articulated concepts, and an engrossing format, this should pique the interest of plane-obsessed kids.--Hunter, Sarah Copyright 2017 Booklist

Gr 5-8-This graphic account of the Wright brothers' achievement skimps on biographical details but tells a grand tale of invention, demonstrating how systematic research and experimentation-punctuated with occasional flashes of brilliant insight-can really pay off. Serving as narrator, interviewer, and cheerleader, Orville and Wilbur's younger sister Katharine squires readers from her brothers' childhood encounter with a small rubber band powered "hélicoptère" invented by Alphonse Pénaud through their final triumph, then swoops through a quick history of later aviation, with particular attention to Englishman Frank Whittle's work on turbojets in World War II. She pauses at appropriate points to survey contemporaneous aeronautical progress in France and elsewhere. She also delivers lucid explanations of Newton's laws of motion, aerodynamics, and other significant scientific principles, as well as full, exact specs for each of the Wrights' gliders and powered aircraft. (The small panels of brown and gold color art give way to more freely organized pages of carefully detailed monochrome diagrams and drawings.) Along with nods to many of aviation's other early pioneers, Wilgus and Brooks close with a profile of Katharine Wright herself. VERDICT Inspirational reading for budding middle grade inventors and engineers-valuable for its broad picture of aviation's early history and for providing specifics about the technical problems the Wright brothers faced and solved.-John Peters, Children's Literature Consultant, New York © Copyright 2017. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

In this entry in the Science Comics series, Katharine, the younger sister of Orville and Wilbur Wright, explains the science behind flight and how her brothers invented and flew the first successful airplane.The Wright brothers were not the first to try to create flying machines, nor were they alone in their era in experimenting with them. In addition to chronicling their failures and successes, the narrative discusses the work of other pioneers in heavier than air flight, such as Otto and Gustav Lilienthal and Alphonse Pnaud. Scientific concepts including Newton's laws of motion are clearly and concisely explained, as are technical components of the airplanes the Wright brothers invented and tested. Further innovations in flight are explained, ending with the invention of the jet engine. The text is informative and engagingly written, and the illustrations are colorful and appealing. A palette of brown, ocher, and blue-gray gives the graphic panels an appropriately antique feel. Unsurprisingly, they are almost exclusively populated by white people. Backmatter includes brief profiles of other aviation pioneers and a short biography of Katharine Wright. There is no bibliography or source notes and a surprising paucity of age-appropriate titles in the suggestions for further reading. An accessible and engaging introduction to the Wright brothers and how they ushered in the age of flight. (glossary, further reading) (Graphic nonfiction. 8-12) Copyright Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.