A TRUE TALE WITH
A CHERRY ON TOP
Christy Ottaviano Books
(Henry Holt and Company)
(pub.3.9.2021) 40 pages
Author: Robert Burleigh
Illustrator: Wendell Minor
Character: Wilbur Wright
Overview:
"On September 29th, 1909, Wilbur Wright performed his first public flight for a crowd of disbelievers in the New York Harbor, home to the Statue of Liberty. With courage and caution, he put his airplane to the test and flew around the iconic landmark while the crowd observed, breathless.
This minute-by-minute account of Wright’s voyage over New York City captures the weight and the wonder of human achievement. When Wilbur Wright met Lady Liberty, he propelled his dream into the imaginations of many, securing the future of aviation." Tantalizing taste:
"From far below, a thunderous cheering rises, falls, and rises again. Flags flutter. Hats fly skyward. Whistles sound. Horns blare.
Passengers crowd the deck of the Lusitania, looking up and calling out. Wilbur dips one wing in a playful hello and flies on. The powerful deep blast from the great ship's foghorn even makes the Flyer shake slightly!"
And something more: Robert Burleigh shares in the Author's Note: "Wilbur's New York Harbor flight was the first either of the brothers had made over a body of water."