Customer Reviews

Violet the Pilot

5 star:		(5)
4 star:		(0)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Violet, a mechanical genius, could repair almost any appliance by the time she was two. At age eight she started to build elaborate flying contraptions from spare parts and machinery that she salvaged from the family business, a junkyard next door. Accompanied by her faithful and fearless dog (aptly named Orville), Violet flies the local skies in her innovative flying machines. She reads Popular Science Monthly for new ideas and dreams about winning a prize at the upcoming air show. Perhaps a blue ribbon would end the relentless teasing from the children at school and garner her some newfound respect. En route to the air show, Violet uses her latest flying invention to become a hero in an entirely unexpected way.

This book is superb. With its gifted female protagonist and clever storyline, Violet the Pilot packs a powerful punch with lessons about innovation, human resources, and women in science. Steve Breen's delightful illustrations are marked by a sense of humor, expressive facial features, and skillful attention to detail (witness the posters of Charles Lindbergh and Amelia Earhart in Violet's bedroom). The blend of entertainment, emotional fluctuations, and substantive content make this book an utterly satisfying read for children and adults alike.

I have a three year old, and it's a little advanced for her, but it still makes the point that girls can make a difference. Besides beautiful illustrations and narration with just the right balance of levity and scientific talk, Violet is a great hero. She's upbeat and determined and has supportive parents to boot.
For a kid like mine who is just beginning to notice the difference in genders, I'm happy to have found this!

Both my boys(5 and 2) loved this book. This book had everything. It also initiated some great conversations especially regarding empathy. It's is just short enough to be read over and over again in one night!!

I liked how Violet did her own thing. We took time to discuss the parts were the other kids were rude to her how they would deal if they were put in that situation from both sides. We were able to talk about how to perserver when things go wrong (keep inventing).

There is also a huge disappointment for Violet and we were able to discuss what the right thing was to do.

This book opened many venues of discussion, from bullying, to perserverance, be your own person, helping others, be creative, how to handle disappointment, etc.

I was disappointed with this book.

I had high hopes buying it for my daughter who shares the heroine's name but have decided not to give it to her because I feel I can do it better. This book is about a smart creative girl with supportive parents, a great character for little girls, however it was not handled well in the storyline. After her character introduction, the author goes on to tell that Violet has NO friends and isn't liked at school partially because she read engineering books. Violet decides to enter a contest with one of her creations and then saves some boy scouts on her way to the contest. The town then loves her. The bullies never apologize. I feel the story line basically says if you are a smart creative girl then it is normal for you to not be accepted until you do something heroic or dangerous. I sadly did not want to be Violet the Pilot.

I happened across this book at our local library and it instantly became an all-time favorite of my three-year old son. He is allowed three stories each night and he always wanted to hear Violet the Pilot. Strong story and great artwork make for a book that not only captivated my son, but kept me from becoming bored after 20+ readings.

This is a great book. Just like the author's Stick book, it has the potential for additional stories in the artwork. We constantly go off the normal story path to talk about and imagine stories on each page.

It's a lot of fun and inspires the imagination for my 4 and 2 year old children.

This is a book about a girl who makes all sorts of improbable flying machines. She gets teased by classmates (this is barely mentioned, so it seems unimportant, but the detail given (going out of their way to make mean comments) makes it seem like it's intended to be a major plot point. Violet's reaction, which would help me figure out how important this teasing is, isn't really noted at all. When she says "We have to work" is she putting on a brave face, or is she really unconcerned? Hard to tell.

There's a flying show, and she decides to enter and win the prize with one of her own inventions. Why? It's not clear. It doesn't seem like she cares what her classmates say, and though she makes some comment about having her parents be proud of her the text makes it clear that they're *already* proud of her and let her fly all the time with no more comment than that she should dress warmly!

On her way to the flying show she stops to save a scout troop and then, because she's half an hour late, heads home and sulks for a while. (In fairness, I'd sulk too!) But, surprise surprise, she's heralded as a hero that night. And here's the really confusing bit - it says her parents from then on "let her fly whenever she wanted" - but the text already made it clear that they let her fly whenever she wanted! Way back in the beginning of the book! This is the point at which I give up, but the book is over.

There doesn't seem to be a clear message. Is it "do your own thing and don't worry about the bullies"? No, because the bullies aren't shown liking her or even apologising after the fact, nor is she shown caring what they say/do. Is it "do the right thing, even if it is painful"? Maybe, but it's not clear why the air show was THAT important to her. Is it "do what you like, and your parents will come to understand"? Her parents are never shown not understanding her. Not all books have to have messages, of course, but this one feels as though it was heading for a message and got sidetracked on the way.

It could've been a much better book than it is, is all.