My Brothers' Flying Machine: Wilbur, Orville, and Me
Grade 1-4-There were the Wright brothers. In point of fact, there were two of them older than the famous pair, and one in between who died along with his twin sister in infancy. And there was a little sister, the last child in the family, Katharine, born three years after Orville. It is from her perspective that Yolen writes, and she includes the important facts and events of the brothers' achievement in flight along with incidentals that provide a window into Wright family life. The text is arranged vertically on one page, suggestive of free verse in its irregular rhythms, and faces an illustration. In an author's note, Yolen credits several biographers along with numerous letters and diary entries for documentation of incidents and conversations. Katharine Wright seems a little like a child in voice, although she was 29 years old in 1903, the year of the historic flight. Her words here can only be adult reminiscences. Burke's paintings are chock-full of realistic and well-researched detail. The newspaper masthead, "West Side News," is clearly visible in the scene showing the Wrights' printing business. And, although there is no mention of the family love of music in the text, Orv's mandolin is propped up on a couch near books whose spines contain the names Lilienthal and Chanute (contemporary flight engineers and experimenters). This book would be useful in combination with straightforward accounts to flesh out a more complete and convincing picture of these personalities. In this centennial year, the voice of another Wright sibling is welcome.Harriett Fargnoli, Great Neck Library, NYCopyright 2003 Reed Business Information, Inc.