WILBUR WRIGHT MEETS LADY LIBERTY

Two American icons “met” high above New York Harbor one morning in 1909.

On Sept. 29, 1909, Wilbur Wright, co-inventor of the airplane, piloted his Wright Flyer around the Statue of Liberty for six and a half minutes. Awestruck spectators, most of whom had never witnessed a flight, included journalists, photographers, and 10-year-old Juan Trippe and his parents. Adding to the spectacle were numerous boats in the harbor, including the Lusitania. Though confident, Wright nevertheless attached a red canoe to the bottom of his plane—just in case—before rising to circle the pale-green Liberty and make the first-ever flight over New York City. Afterward, the crowds roared. Burleigh relates this exciting, little-known event from two perspectives. Children read/hear the voices of Juan and his parents (set in italicized type), making their presence immediate. This punctuates the dramatic third-person narration, expressed in a terse present tense that adds suspense. Minor’s splendid illustrations offer numerous grand perspectives and are rendered in lush watercolors, providing appropriate airiness and lending nostalgia; the scenes depicting Juan and his parents are sepia toned. Wright and the Trippes appear White. Front endpapers reproduce a newspaper account of the event; the backmatter contains excellent additional information, including a map. (This book was reviewed digitally with 10-by-20-inch double-page spreads viewed at 83.8% of actual size.)

This high-flying book will send readers’ imaginations soaring.