Wind Flyers

Wind Flyers

Written by: Angela Johnson
Illustrated by: Loren Long

Elementary Grades

"In spare, poetic lines, a young African American boy introduces his great-great-uncle, who was a Tuskegee airman. His uncle's love for flying begins in boyhood, when he "catches air" in jumps from haylofts and takes his first rides in a "flying barnstormer." Later he becomes a Tuskegee wind flyer and serves in World War II, and his delight in piloting lasts his lifetime. Johnson introduces the history in oblique, pared-down words. Many children will need adult help to place the story in context, and they may want to talk about the story's references to war, including a scene of planes in combat. Long's acrylics beautifully extend the evocative words. Resembling WPA murals in clearly defined, rounded figures and realistic scenes, the artwork shows thrilling expanses of sky and gives a sense, in aerial views, of what it must feel like to touch clouds from an open aircraft. Pair this title with Lynn Homan and Thomas Reilly's The Tuskegee Airmen Story (2002)."

Booklist Review

Web Resources:
www.simonsays.com/assets/isbn/.../TGP01_068984879X.pdf
www.tuskegeeairmen.org