First Lady of the Air: The Harriet Quimby Story [Illustrated] [Hardcover]

Book Description

Age Level: 9 and up

A biography of the pioneer aviatrix who was the first American woman to earn a pilot's license and to fly across the English Channel.

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

Grade 4-6?An interesting, independent woman who was ahead of her time, Quimby was an aviation pioneer. She was born in 1875, and raised on two mottos: "Life is a risk. The person who takes a chance is a person who has a chance" and "A woman is the equal of any man." Armed with this encouragement, Quimby shunned marriage and children and set out to be a writer, ending up at Leslie's Weekly, a New York City-based national news magazine. Involved in writing articles to serve the nation's burgeoning interest in aviation, and herself intrigued by it, she took flying lessons and shortly became the first licensed female pilot, only to die in a crash shortly thereafter. This is a lively, well-written biography, but it does include a lot of undocumented dialogue. Black-and-white photographs contribute to the overall attractiveness of the presentation.?Debbie Feulner, Northwest Middle School, Greensboro, NC
Copyright 1998 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Kirkus Reviews

In a volume that suffers from credibility problems and a patronizing tone, a collection of short biographies of six Native American women. Each of the introductory chapters to the sections covering the six lives offers an idea of the honored role of women in tribal societies; after that, the focus shifts, and the biographies themselves show the subjects in relation to the newly dominant white culture of the 17th, 18th, and early 19th centuries. There's Pocahontas and Sacajawea, whose stories are known; Tekakwitha, a Mohawk who became a Christian ascetic; Cooh-coo-cheeh, another Mohawk, a medicine woman who, according to the author, is remembered ``for saving the life of a twelve-year-old white boy'' who had been captured by her people; Sarah Winnemucca, the daughter of a Paiute chief who became a lobbyist for Native American rights, but, like the others in this book, had one foot in the white world; and Susan LaFlesche, the first Native American woman to become a doctor. Although Zaykowski provides a bibliography, she includes quotes without indicating their sources, e.g., LaFlesche shouts, ``I'll be famous someday. I'll leave the reservation and go to the white man's city and do important work.'' In fact, most of the speakers use the portentous profundities found in bad Westerns, with one notable exception (again, without a source): When LaFlesche's father bids her farewell, he says, ``Keep in touch.'' (b&w photos, index) (Biography. 12-14) -- Copyright ©1997, Kirkus Associates, LP. All rights reserved.

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 9 and up
  
• Hardcover: 5 pages
• Publisher: Tudor Pub; illustrated edition edition (March 1999)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0936389494
• ISBN-13: 978-0936389493
• Product Dimensions: 8.4 x 5.6 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 9.6 ounces
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #3,244,895 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Discover books, learn about writers, read author blogs, and more.