Grade 3-5-Similar in style to Richard Rosenblum's Wings (Four Winds, 1980; o.p.), Weiss's book covers various attempts to use birds to support and power human flight; efforts to construct mechanical, flapping wings; and the more practical balloon approach to flight. Once the author has shown how humans got into the air, he explains aerodynamics, how wings support aircraft, primitive helicopters, early failures, and the Wright Brothers' success. He includes instructions for building flying model planes and concludes with the very unbirdlike Mariner II spacecraft. His tone is light and in keeping with the entertaining, yet informative, black-and-white and blue-tinted drawings. Although there are some strange wordings, such as talking about "When hydrogen gas was invented," the text is readable and well organized. As a quick and easy overview of the early days of aviation, the book will appeal to readers with an interest in the topic as well as provide useful background information for reports.
Jeffrey A. French, Cleveland Heights-University Heights Public Library
Copyright 1995 Reed Business Information, Inc.
From Booklist
Gr. 4^-7. From fables and myths about flying through the Wright brothers' first brief but successful flight, Weiss details humankind's efforts to fly. The lively narrative, supported by a wealth of diagrams, drawings, and photographs, gives a chronological accounting of the wide variety of machines and apparatus created to achieve flight, including wings, gliders, balloons, and machine-powered aircraft. Instructions for making paper airplanes and a simplified propeller-driven helicopter add to the book's appeal and usefulness. This is an entertaining and easy-to-read introduction to the history of flight, though the lack of an index will frustrate children in search of specifics. Karen Hutt
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