Most Helpful Customer Reviews
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2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Follow Your Dreams:The Story of Alberto Santos-Dumont, January 15, 2006
This is a beautifully illustrated book about a young man's quest to find a way to fly. The young reader visits Brazil and Paris through the story and pictures, as well as learning about perseverence. A good book to begin introducing the early grades to biography.
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1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Man Flies - So Does This Book!, November 3, 2007
The story of Alberto Santos-Dumont is one that needs to be told to young and old alike. What Elisabeth Waugaman has done is to provide a beautifully told and illustrated story for younger readers, bringing Mr. Santos-Dumont's philosophy of keeping on trying and learning from one's mistakes. And the writing is, at times, magical, particularly in Ms. Waugaman's description of when Santos-Dumont saw a rainbow in the clouds during his first baloon flight.
For those who are new to Alberto Santos-Dumont, he was a Brazilian who settled in Paris at the turn of the twentieth century to pursue his dream that "man flies." Although Santos-Dumont was enthralled by the experience of his first baloon ride, he set out to build an airship, a powered lighter-than-air craft that could be steered. In this he succeeded admirably and quickly became the talk of the town, as "the little Brazilian" was spotted across Paris in one of his ingenious craft. In 1906, he became the first person in Europe to pilot a powered, controlled heavier-than-air aeroplane, known as the "14-bis." However, there has been much controversy in that most people in Brazil feel the credit for the first powered, controlled, heavier-than-air flight should go to him, as the Wright Brothers' 1903 flight at Kitty Hawk was not officially documented.
My only misgiving is that the book takes the side of Brazilian popular culture, crediting Santos-Dumont with what most scholars feel rightfully belongs to Wilbur and Orville Wright. As Sir Peter Wyckham pointed out in his definitive biography of Santos-Dumont, this controversy had the ironic effect of making the Brazilian aviator almost unknown outside his native Brazil, which is indeed unfortunate, because Santos-Dumont really was a hero for his many accomplishments as well as his personal idiosyncracies. In addition, the translator for the Portuguese text, faithful to the English original in every other way, exaggerates Santos-Dumont's fame.
Nevertheless, Dr. Waugaman does an admirable job in presenting both sides. Her artwork is beautiful, alone well worth the price of the book. That Dr. Waugaman loves children and respects their dreams is evident in both the text and her sympathetic treatment to an eccentric hero; moreover, her deeds speak as loudly as her words: she has kindly donated proceeds of her book to children's charities.
This is a very special, unique book, one to treasure for a long time (which, in my mind, justfies its high price). Read it and enjoy the colorful illustrations. As Alberto Santos-Dumont did, may this book inspire young and old to fly and follow their own dreams.
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1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Follow Your Dreams: The Story of Alberto Santos-Dumont , January 12, 2006
I purchased this book for my grandson. Both he & I love this book. It is beautifully written and colorfully illustrated. It is a wonderful story to read to a toddler and I look forward to my grandson learning to read it to me someday soon. I recommend it without reservation.
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