Through the Looking Glass Children's Book Reviews
Amelia Earhart : More Than a Flier
Illustrator: Alan Daniel , Lea Daniel
Nonfiction
For ages 6 to 8
Simon and Schuster, 2003 ISBN: 0689855753
Amelia did not have a traditional upbringing and this certainly helped make her the very independent and determined girl that she was. Not content to bide at home playing with dolls and keeping her clothes clean, Amelia set about changing the rules that were imposed on girls in the little town of Atchison, Kansas. Amelia was constantly shocking people by doing things that up until then, were only done by boys. As far as Amelia was concerned, there was no earthly reason why she shouldn't use a boy's sled, wear bloomers so that she could run and play freely, play basketball, and most important of all dream of becoming a pilot one day.
It was seeing a flight demonstration at a fair that planted this idea in Amelia's head and it was a dream that she never let go of. After finishing her schooling and being a Worl d War I nurse, Amelia had to figure out what she was going to do with her life. Her parents were not pleased when she told them that she wanted to fly, and furthermore they could not afford to pay for her lessons or her plane. So, Amelia got various jobs to pay for her passion and it wasn't that long before she was a licensed pilot.
The rest of Amelia's story is well known, exciting, and of course, tragic. To this day people wonder what happened to Amelia's plane when she was making her last flight - an attempt to fly around the world.
Simply but not condescendingly written, this early reader biography is a wonderful introduction into the world of biographies. Amelia is brought to life and the reader is encouraged to think not only about the great aviator herself but also about the times that she lived in.
