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Library | Call Number | Status |
|---|---|---|
Searching... Monmouth Public Library | J 629.13 ELDER | Searching... Unknown |
Searching... Salem Main Library | J 921 Elder, Ruth 2013 | Searching... Unknown |
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Summary
Summary
In 1927, airplanes were a thrilling but dangerous novelty. Most people, men and women, believed that a woman belonged in the kitchen and not in a cockpit. One woman, Ruth Elder, set out to prove them wrong by flying across the Atlantic Ocean. Ruth didn't make it, crashing spectacularly, but she flew right into the spotlight and America's heart. This is the story of a remarkable woman who chased her dreams with grit and determination, and whose appetite for adventure helped pave the way for future generations of female flyers.
Author Notes
Julie Cummins has loved books all her life. That passion led to a career as a children's librarian and the position of coordinator of children's services at the New York Public Library. Her previous books Tomboy of the Air, Women Daredevils, and Women Explorers all bring to life women who challenged tradition and risked their lives to follow their dreams.
Malene R. Laugesen has also illustrated Mama Went to Jail for the Vote by Kathleen Karr , The Blessing Box by Karen Hill, and The Princess Gown by Linda Leopold Strauss. She lives in New Zealand.
Reviews (6)
School Library Journal Review
Gr 2-5-Move over, Amelia.readers are about to meet Ruth Elder, Earhart's contemporary and fellow aviatrix. Inspired by Charles Lindbergh's solo Atlantic flight, Elder was determined to be the first woman to accomplish the same feat. "In 1927..Most people.believed that a woman belonged in the kitchen and not in a cockpit!" Undaunted, the stylish beauty queen and silent-movie actress was also a daredevil. Though a ruptured oil line left her and her copilot in the ocean, her plane in flames, "she never lost her courage or her lipstick." A few years later, she and 19 other women flyers, including Earhart, raced from Santa Monica to Cleveland, ".using only roadmaps and their own two eyes to find their way." While she lost her maps to heavy winds, and a forced landing caused a run-in with some cattle and a farmer's wife, she still managed to finish fifth. The clever, anecdotal text and vibrant spreads of the colorful planes and period costumes transport readers to another era, glamorous, yet restrictive toward the "fairer sex." Elder predicted that one day women would be fighter pilots.and she was right. An author's note and comprehensive source list are appended. Pair this offering with Marissa Moss's Sky High: The True Story of Maggie Gee (Tricycle, 2009) for a soaring look at women's history.-Barbara Auerbach, New York City Public Schools (c) Copyright 2013. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Publisher's Weekly Review
While Amelia Earhart is a household name, Ruth Elder (1902-1977) is not. Cummins, who wrote about trailblazing women in books like Women Daredevils and Women Explorers, stitches together anecdotes about this female aviator, whose (unsuccessful) attempt to cross the Atlantic predated that of Earhart. Throughout, Cummins makes clear the kind of dismissive attitudes female pilots faced. "Most people, men and women, believed that a woman belonged in the kitchen and not a cockpit," she writes. And in 1929, when 20 pilots including Elder took part in an all-women air race, a reporter grouses, "The only thing worse than dames in planes is dames racing planes." While Laugesen's smudgy illustrations don't generate much of a sense of action, Elder and her fellow pioneers come across as plenty heroic. Additional facts and resources wrap up this quick overview of Elder's life. Ages 6-9. (July) (c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.
Horn Book Review
Before there was Amelia Earhart, there was Ruth Elder, "a beauty queen with a sparkling personality, a smile as bright as a toothpaste ad, and plenty of pluck." In 1927, inspired by aviator Charles Lindbergh's feats and with a mere five months of training, Elder took off in the American Girl for Paris. When the plane malfunctioned and crashed into the Atlantic Ocean, Elder (after her dramatic rescue) became a celebrity, in part because of that plucky attitude. In 1929, Elder was one of twenty young women who took part in a cross-country airplane race, dubbed the Powder Puff Derby, and the second half of Cummins's picture book biography recounts Elder's racing adventures. Cummins captures the feel of the era by employing quaint vocabulary such as dillydally and gumption. Laugesen's pastel illustrations capture the lofty feeling of the experience of flying in a small plane and landing in a field, and also pay careful attention to the clothes of the era. This makes a lively and well-researched addition to Women's History Month biographies, with a closing illustration showing little girls inspecting a wall of portraits of aviatrixes, from (according to the key) Elder and Earhart to the first female combat pilots to women astronauts. susan dove lempke (c) Copyright 2013. The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Kirkus Review
A lively biography of a pioneer in women's aviation. In 1927, when flying was still a new phenomenon, 23-year-old Ruth Elder set out to be the first female pilot to cross the Atlantic. She and her instructor embarked on the journey with high hopes, but due to a serious malfunction, they abandoned the plane and were scooped up by a passing ship on its way to Europe. Cummins writes that Ruth "never lost her courage or her lipstick." She made the most of the fame the unsuccessful attempt brought her, even performing in two silent movies, but her heart remained in aviation. In 1929, Ruth placed fifth in a cross-country race with 19 other women. Proud to have finished the course, Ruth accurately predicted that American women would someday be fighter pilots. Cummins' snappy prose captures Ruth's ebullient spirit, and her inclusion of other women acknowledges a community of female pilots often unmentioned in accounts of the most famous female aviator, Amelia Earhart, who is mentioned only briefly here. Laugesen's muted illustrations render details with care, successfully evoking this exciting historical era. Cummins' animated account of early aviator Ruth Elder's struggles and achievements will amuse and inspire girls of all ages. (author's note, sources, further reading) (Picture book/biography. 6-12)]] Copyright Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Booklist Review
Ruth Elder, a contemporary of Amelia Earhart, set her sights on becoming the first woman to fly across the Atlantic. At age 23, and after only a few flying lessons, she and her copilot set forth. Two-thirds of the way into their flight, the gas line sprung a leak, and they were forced to abandon the plane. Fortunately, they were rescued by a nearby ship. In 1929, she and 19 other women (including Earhart) flew solo across the country to prove women can pilot as well as men and, in this depiction, do it with a few enjoyable comic interludes, too. After landing safely in Cleveland, the ever-optimistic Elder expresses her belief that women would one day become fighter pilots. Laugesen's idyllic paintings capture Elder's beauty and personality while complementing the text. Pair with Daredevil, by Meghan McCarthy, reviewed on this page.--Petty, J. B. Copyright 2010 Booklist
New York Review of Books Review
For children intrigued by flight, Lyon has written an energetic and exciting book in rhyme about planes of all sorts : " Bi-planes / triplanes /gotta-love-the-sky-planes/ Prop planes /jet planes/ how-fast-can-youget-planes." With the look of 1930s travel posters, Wiggins's intensely colored pictures show planes at their most glamorous, zipping between storm clouds and swooping low over forest fires. Even the in-flight snacks look appealing. Perhaps the golden age of travel isn't over after all. DAREDEVIL The Daring Life of Betty Skelton Written and illustrated by Meghan McCarthy 48 pp. A Paula Wiseman Book/Simon & Schuster. $16.99. (Picture book, ages 4 to 8) In the 1930s, growing up near a Navy base in Pensacola, Fla., Betty Skelton fell in love with flight. A self-described "half-pint," Skelton nevertheless became a fearless stunt pilot, famous for cutting through a ribbon tied between two poles with her plane's propeller - while flying upside down. She later broke records in high-altitude flying, car racing and "boat jumping" - and trained as an astronaut. McCarthy's googly-eyed portraits make Skelton's story amusing as well as inspiring. JOURNEY Written and illustrated by Aaron Becker 40 pp. Candlewick Press. $15.99. (Picture book; ages 4 to 8) Though Becker has plenty of experience as an artist for films, "Journey" is his first book, and it's a masterwork. In a tale told solely through pictures, a lonely little girl in a dull, sepia-toned city picks up a red marker and draws a door on her bedroom wall. Through it, she enters a lushly detailed imaginary world where, with the marker's help, she floats and flies through a dramatic escapade and returns home with a friend. Though that marker will make you think of Crockett Johnson's " Harold and the Purple Crayon," Becker's book has a beauty distinctly its own. THE BOY AND THE AIRPLANE Written and illustrated by Mark Pett 40 pp. Simon & Schuster. $15.99. (Picture book; ages 4 to 10) Using a palette almost as quiet as his wordless text, Pett's witty if subdued picture book tells the story of a little boy who receives a toy airplane as a gift. After it lands out of reach on a roof, he tries everything he can think of (lasso, baseball, pogo stick, fireman's hose - even a ladder!) to get the plane down. Finally, the flight of a winged seed suggests another solution. Patience is amply rewarded, for both boy and reader. FLYING SOLO How Ruth Elder Soared Into Americas Heart By Julie Cummins Illustrated by Malene R. Laugesen Roaring Brook Press. $17.99. (Picture book; ages 6 to 9) In the 1920s, before Amelia Earhart flew across the Atlantic, Ruth Elder, a beauty queen with ambition, attempted a similar feat. Though she and her co-pilot had to ditch their plane, American Girl, two-thirds of the way across, Elder's pioneering spirit made her famous. She starred in two silent movies and took part in the first crosscountry air race flown by women, dismissively known as the Powder Puff Derby. Laugesen's big, dramatic illustrations give the reader a good sense of the landscapes - and fashions - of the early-20th-century setting. SARAH HARRISON SMITH ONLINE A slide show of this week's illustrated books at nytimes.com/books. Sarah Harrison Smith reviews several books for children about aviation and flying, including "Planes Fly!" by George Ella Lyon; "Daredevil: The Daring Life of Betty Skelton," by Meghan McCarthy; "Journey," written by Aaron Becker; "The Boy and the Airplane," written by Mark Pett, and "Flying Solo: How Ruth Elder Soared Into America's Heart," by Julie Cummins.