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From Cooperative Children's Book Center (CCBC)

Burleigh uses short sentences to recount the historic first airplane flight across the Atlantic which transformed a 25-year-old pilot into a hero in 1927. The terse, present-tense narrative conveys some elements of the risk Lindbergh took and the courage he exhibited only 24 years after the Bright Brothers successfully flew the first airplane. Wimmer's full-color artwork furnishes suitably heroic perspectives illustrating what was an exciting achievement and can now be relived as such through this gripping account. (Ages 5-10)

CCBC Choices 1991 © Cooperative Children's Book Center, Univ. of Wisconsin - Madison, 1991. Used with permission.

From Horn Book

March 1, 2011
This vivid free-verse account of Amelia Earhart's 1932 flight from Newfoundland to Northern Ireland, the first-ever solo transatlantic flight by a woman, settles into the cockpit and describes what the legendary pilot might have seen and felt during that long, tense, exhilarating trip. Minor's paintings heighten the immediacy, depicting Earhart's blazing red Vega in both long shots and close-ups, braving the mercurial sky. Although Burleigh's imagery is sometimes overwrought, he succeeds in making the danger feel real, as when a storm ices the wings, pushing the plane down toward the ocean. "How close is the water's surface? She bursts through the lowest clouds. / There it is, rushing toward her. Near. Nearer." Such a harrowing night makes Minor's exquisitely rendered ocean sunrise and the subsequent sight of land seem all the more gorgeous, exemplifying one of the quotes attributed to Earhart in the back matter: "The lure of flying is the lure of beauty." And, as Night Flight suggests, the lure of feeling alive. The endpapers include a map of Earhart's flight path, and there is a list of resources. christine m. heppermann

(Copyright 2011 by The Horn Book, Incorporated, Boston. All rights reserved.)

From School Library Journal

February 1, 2011

Gr 2-5-On a May evening in 1932, Amelia Earhart climbed into her single-engine, red Lockheed Vega and flew across the ocean, departing from Newfoundland and landing on a farm in Northern Ireland. Burleigh's suspenseful text and Minor's shifting perspectives work in tandem to pull readers into the drama as they experience the anxiety and exhilaration that accompanied this historic flight. Earhart's skill, stamina, and courage are put to the test when a thunderstorm erupts, her altimeter breaks, and icy wings cause the plane to plummet. She faces the "Hour of white knuckles....Hour of maybe-and maybe not." The third-person narrative is arranged in two-line stanzas of free verse; the language is fresh and evocative, morphing to match the mood-by turns terse, lyrical, relentless. Minor's gouache and watercolor scenes pull back from intense close-ups and cockpit perspectives to sweeping panoramic vistas, his fluid brushwork a perfect match for a tale of sea and sky. This book will encourage children to consider the inner resources required to undertake such a feat when pilots had only themselves to rely on-in this case, traversing 2000 miles without the security of land. Back matter includes a technical note, bibliography, and inspirational quotes from Earhart's writings. Endpapers depict a map of the flight and a rendering of the plane. Pair this with Nikki Grimes's Talkin' About Bessie (Scholastic, 2002) to present another female aviator who experienced the pleasures and perils of being a pioneer.-Wendy Lukehart, Washington DC Public Library

Copyright 2011 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

From Booklist

Starred review from February 1, 2011
Grades 1-4 *Starred Review* A worthy new addition to the recent spate of books about the famous aviatrix, Burleighs story concentrates on Earharts 1932 solo flight from Newfoundland to Ireland, placing compelling poetic emphasis on her single-hearted struggle. Why? Because women must try to do things as men have tried, writes Burleigh, quoting Earhart. Terse two-sentence stanzas tell a story focused upon the flights trials: a sudden storm (the sky unlocks), ice buildup on the planes wings, a precipitous plunge toward the Atlantics frothing surface, and a cracked exhaust pipe (The friendly night becomes a graph of fear). The loneliness of the effort is finally relieved over a farmers field, where Amelia lands and says, Hi, Ive come from America. Minors illustrations maintain tension by alternating between cockpit close-ups and wide views of the plane crossing the foreboding ocean. Predominant reds and blues convey the pure excitement of the nail-biting journey. An afterword, along with Internet resources, a bibliography, and a column of Earhart quotes, increases the books value for curious children who might want more. Finally, Minors endpapers, with a well-drawn map and mechanical illustration of the plane Earhart called the little red bus, also work to inspire further learning.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2011, American Library Association.)

From Kirkus

January 1, 2011

This gorgeous book presents a lyrical account of Amelia Earhart's 1932 solo transatlantic flight, taking readers from the runway at Harbour Grace, Newfoundland, at 7:12 p.m., through an initially calm and eventually harrowing flight in which weather and equipment failure almost condemn Amelia's small craft to the dark waters of the Atlantic, to daybreak and a safe landing in a pasture in Ireland. Burleigh's skillful poetic language offers a gripping account that allows readers to connect with both the risk and reward of Amelia's journey. For example: "1:00 a.m. The friendly night becomes a graph of fear: / a jagged line between where-I-am and not-quite-sure. / The altimeter needle swirls wildly. It is broken! / (She will never know how high she is)." Minor's gouache-and-watercolor illustrations, richly textured and realistic, contribute greatly to the overall power and emotional impact of the story. An afterword provides a brief account of Earhart's life, giving some necessary context to the episode dramatized in the main text. (technical note, bibliography, selected quotes) (Picture book/biography. 5-10)

(COPYRIGHT (2011) KIRKUS REVIEWS/NIELSEN BUSINESS MEDIA, INC. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.)

From Publisher's Weekly

Starred review from December 20, 2010
A gripping narrative and dynamic art immediately pull readers into the story of Earhart's historic 1932 solo transatlantic flight. Urgent yet lyrical, Burleigh's (One Giant Leap) account opens with Earhart's takeoff: "It is here: the hour, the very minute. Go!" A clear sky darkens as a storm erupts and lightning "scribbles its zigzag warning across the sky: danger." Earhart must also contend with mechanical difficulties-a broken altimeter, a cracked exhaust pipe, a gas leak. The
tension reaches a crescendo as ice on the wings causes Earhart to lose control of the plane: "Everything she has ever learned courses through her blood. Now or never. All or nothing." Minor's (The Last Train) gouache and watercolor paintings easily convey the journey's intense drama, balancing lifelike closeups of Earhart with images of her imperiled plane. Stunning skyscapes are suffused with shadow and light; a breathtaking spread reveals streaks of multicolored clouds at daybreak as "Splinters of sunlight stab down through cloud slits and brace themselves on the vault of the open sea." Hearts will be racing. Back matter includes notes on Earhart's life. Ages 4—8.

From AudioFile Magazine

From Harbour Grace, Newfoundland, in 1932, Amelia Earhart sets off across the Atlantic Ocean, not knowing when or where she will land. Burleigh's vivid text brings to life the story of the first crossing of the Atlantic by a female pilot. Laura Hamilton narrates with precision. Her leisurely pace leaves time to savor the enormity of Earhart's undertaking, Burleigh's rich text, and illustrator Wendell Minor's breathtaking paintings. Hamilton uses extended pauses to portend moments that test Earhart's mettle--a breaking storm, a broken altimeter, iced wings, and a gas leak. Sound effects of the weather and the airplane enliven the story. An afterword and back matter provide additional information about Earhart's life. A.R. © AudioFile 2012, Portland, Maine