Soar along with Bessie Coleman in this inspirational tale of a woman whose determination reached new heights!
Elizabeth "Bessie" Coleman was always being told what she could & couldn't do. In an era when Jim Crow laws and segregation were a way of life, it was not easy to survive. Bessie didn't let that stop her. Although she was only 11 when the Wright brothers took their historic flight, she vowed to become the first African-American female pilot. Her sturdy faith and determination helped her overcome obstacles of poverty, racism, and gender discrimination.
Innovatively told through a series of monologues, this empowering book by beloved author Nikki Grimes will encourage kids to reach for their own dreams.
"This fresh contribution to the spate of relatively recent titles about Coleman has a decidedly unique tone.... The text consists of 21 poetic vignettes of Coleman delivered by "speakers" at a funeral parlor, all of whom have come to mourn the pilot who died at age 34 in a plane accident. Their reminiscences on stark white pages are illustrated with miniature portraits bordered in sepia, each one facing a full-page watercolor capturing a moment in the woman's life. Skillfully drawn and occasionally photographic in their realism, the pictures perfectly match each speaker's recollections." — School Library Journal
Recommended Age | 7 - 10 |
---|---|
Author | Nikki Grimes |
Illustrator | E.B. Lewis |
ISBN | 0439352436 |
Publication Date | Nov 1, 2002 |
Publisher | Orchard |
Award Winners | Coretta Scott King Award |
Language | English |