Skyward

The Story of Female Pilots in WWII

by Sally Deng

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Pub Date Sep 04 2018 | Archive Date Aug 21 2018

Nobrow | Flying Eye Books

Children's Nonfiction | Middle Grade

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Description

The year is 1927, and in America, England and Russia, three young girls share the dream of becoming pilots. Against the odds, these ambitious young trailblazers follow their hearts, enrolling in pilot school (some in secret) and eventually flying for their countries in World War II.

"There’s excitement and bravery in each thread of the story, so beautifully told, against the historical backdrop of WWII and introduces us to the heroic stories of the real pilots who’ve inspired the story."
—Association of Illustrators

"A fascinating read in terms of untold history – especially the heroic women of color, who were flying life-threatening missions as well as combating racism on the ground."
—Book Trust

"The book provides important context for kids to understand the lengths that women had to go to in order to gain acceptance in the military."
—American Scientist

“Risking their lives countless times in feats of incredible bravery, the Women Airforce Service Pilots (WASPs) of the Second World War are honored in this beautifully illustrated and inherently fascinating story based on actual events and real people. Skyward is unreservedly recommended for family, school, and community library collections.”
—Midwest Book Review

“Deng’s graphics vary from striking compositions reminiscent of WWII-era posters to dramatic views of soaring planes under enemy fire.”
—Publishers Weekly

Follow the adventures of these young female pioneers as they battle not only enemies in the skies but sexism and inequality in their own teams, and encounter legends like Jackie "Speed Queen" Cochran. Risking their lives countless times in feats of incredible bravery, the Women Airforce Service Pilots--WASPs--of the Second World War are honored in this beautiful story based on actual events, illustrated in Sally Deng's raw, dynamic style.

The year is 1927, and in America, England and Russia, three young girls share the dream of becoming pilots. Against the odds, these ambitious young trailblazers follow their hearts, enrolling in...

Available Editions

EDITION	Other Format
ISBN	9781911171881
PRICE	$24.00 (USD)
PAGES	88

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Featured Reviews

Laura T, Reviewer

When I was in elementary school, there was a section of the school library that held biographies of famous people. (921 dewey decimal system.) My favorites were the childhoods of the famous, and that was where I first came across the life story of Amelia Earhart. The thing that struck me, at the time, was that flying lessons were $100. This was back in the Depression, and I knew that, and so I wondered how much it would have cost today. It got me thinking about these sorts of things, at a young age.

The reason I bring this up, is because of this book, which is not about one, or two, but a whole group of women that flew during WWII. The author focuses on one from the US, one from the UK and one from the Soviet Union. The Soviet Union's group of flying women were known as the Night Witches, by the Nazis, whom they were bombing.

The pictures are amazing. The story is good too, but this being a picture book, it is the pictures that are important as well.

<img class="alignnone size-full wp-image-475" src="http://www.reyes-sinclair.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/05/Screen-Shot-2018-05-13-at-4.57.08-PM.png" alt="" />

Each woman in uniform.

<img class="alignnone size-full wp-image-474" src="http://www.reyes-sinclair.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/05/Screen-Shot-2018-05-13-at-5.00.17-PM.png" alt="" />

A plane crash, that the pilot survived.

<img class="alignnone size-full wp-image-476" src="http://www.reyes-sinclair.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/05/Screen-Shot-2018-05-13-at-5.33.49-PM.png" alt="" />

Of course, once the war was over, the women were all expected to go back to the kitchen and stay there, but some did not, and so this opened the doors to the female pilots of today.

Great story to show kids of today what women went through back, now 70 years ago. (Hard to believe it was that long ago). Also good so that this peice of history is not lost.

The author said she started researching for this book when she saw a picture of Hazel Ying Lee, a Chinese-American pilot in WWII, and wondered about that, and who she was.

Thanks to Netgalley for making this book available for an honest review.