As children, Orville and Wilbur Wright loved to build and design new things. They were fascinated with the idea of flight and were determined to build a full-size flying machine that could be controlled by a pilot. This dream became a reality on December 17, 1903 when the Wright brothers made the world's first flight in a power-driven airplane. Thanks to their hard work, dedication and patience, people from all over the world can travel from one place to another in a matter of minutes or hours, rather than days or weeks.

This year marks the 100th anniversary of that first flight, and to celebrate this milestone, we have assembled eight recently released titles --- both fiction and nonfiction --- that pay special tribute to this extraordinary achievement. After reading these books, you'll develop an even greater appreciation for what Orville and Wilbur Wright accomplished on that cold, windy day in Kitty Hawk, North Carolina.

FIRST TO FLY: How Wilbur and Orville Wright Invented the Airplane
Peter Busby
illustrated by David Craig
Crown Books for Young Readers
ISBN: 0375812873
Ages 8-up
32 pages

When they were young, Wilbur and Orville Wright loved making their helicopter fly. As adults, the brothers made their living taking things apart and putting them together again: printing presses, bicycles and planes, to name just a few. Through trial and error, these two boys from Dayton, Ohio built the airplane that would change the world forever.

THE FLYERS
Allan Drummond
Farrar, Straus & Giroux
ISBN: 0374324107
Ages 4-8
40 pages

The arrival of Orville and Wilbur Wright in Kitty Hawk, North Carolina, with their "crazy kite" of an airplane, inspires five local kids to envision their own flying machines, from sky buses that could carry hundreds of people around the world to an unbelievable machine that could go to the moon. As they follow each step leading up to Orville Wright's first history-making, 12-second flight, the children take flights of their own.

MY BROTHERS' FLYING MACHINE: Wilbur, Orville, and Me
Jane Yolen
Little, Brown and Company
ISBN: 0316971596
Ages 6-9
32 pages

Jane Yolen has written the fictional tale of Wilbur and Orville Wright's sister, Katherine. When their father brought home a small flying machine, Wilbur and Orville tossed the toy in the air over and over until it broke. Their sister watched as they examined and fixed it. She eventually became involved in her brothers' bicycle shop and printing press, as well as their numerous other inventions and projects. While Wilbur and Orville performed their tasks, Katherine encouraged them every step of the way.

ONE FINE DAY: A Radio Play
Elizabeth Van Steenwyk
illustrated by Bill Farnsworth
Eerdmans Books for Young Readers
ISBN: 0802852343
Ages 8-up
32 pages

Author Elizabeth Van Steenwyk celebrates the first flight made by Orville and Wilbur Wright in the form of an old-time radio play, beautifully illustrated by Bill Farnsworth. The dialogue reveals the bond that Wilbur and Orville shared and the excitement of their accomplishment, while readers are given an opportunity to reenact the drama of that important day.

RACE FOR THE SKY: The Kitty Hawk Diaries of Johnny Moore
Dan Gutman
Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers
ISBN: 0689845545
Ages 8-12
192 pages

Johnny Moore lives in Kill Devil Hills, North Carolina at the turn of the twentieth century. He is there to witness the Wright brothers make history by becoming the first people to fly. But Johnny's life changes years before the dramatic first flight, when his mother gives him a blank book and tells him to write in it. At first, Johnny doesn't think he has anything interesting to write about in his journal … but then the Wright brothers arrive in town.

Johnny begins writing everyday about how he has helped Wilbur and Orville build their flying machine. Over the course of three years he forms a friendship with the brothers from Ohio, improves his writing and grammar, and if he waits long enough, he might even have the opportunity to fly!

TOUCHING THE SKY: The Flying Adventures of Wilbur and Orville Wright
Louise Borden and Trish Marx
illustrated by Peter Fiore
Margaret K. McElderry Books
ISBN: 0689848765
Ages 5-8
64 pages

On December 17, 1903 the Wright brothers took their historic first flight, and by 1909 they were celebrities. In September of that year Wilbur and Orville finally showed the world, firsthand, what they had accomplished. Wilbur delighted the crowd in New York City with spectacular flying demonstrations during the city's Hudson-Fulton Celebration, while Orville held daring public exhibitions in Germany and set amazing new records.

Louise Borden and Trish Marx document the extraordinary lives and achievements of the Wright brothers, from their early years in Ohio to their later success and fame.

THE WRIGHT BROTHERS
Pamela Duncan Edwards
Hyperion Press
ISBN: 0786819510
Ages 5-9
36 pages

Written in a style similar to THE HOUSE THAT JACK BUILT, this unique picture book gradually introduces readers to all the steps that led to the Wright brothers' remarkable historical accomplishment. Throughout the story, four talking mice observe the various stages and give readers plenty of information about Orville and Wilbur's childhood, and how they figured out what they needed to do to make a plane fly. This is a wonderful tribute to two men who resolved early in life to change the world for the better.

THE WRIGHT BROTHERS TAKE OFF (Smart About History Series)
written and illustrated by Jon Buller and Susan Schade
Grosset & Dunlap
ISBN: 0448428997
Ages 5-9
32 pages

Hollis loves to build model planes, so it's only natural that he chooses to do his history report on the Wright brothers. Learn right along with Hollis about the remarkable achievements of Orville and Wilbur, as Jon Buller and Susan Schade present carefully researched information in an appealing, accessible and kid-friendly way.

--- Compiled and written by Tom Donadio

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