2003-2004 Texas Bluebonnet Books
Mercedes and the Chocolate Pilot tells the true story of one of the lesser known effects of the blockade of West Berlin by Russia in 1948-49: the deprivation of the children of the city. When Russians shut off food and supplies from West Berlin, England and America undertook the daunting task of airlifting 4,500 tons of food and supplies daily to the isolated city. The children of West Berlin would often gather at Tempelhof Air Field to greet the pilots. On one such occasion, Lt. Gail Halvorsen pulled the only two sticks of gum that he had from his pocket and splitting them, shared them with four lucky children. Seeing the delight that this gave the youngsters, Halvorsen promised to drop more candy on his next flight, telling the children to look for the wiggle of the wings of his plane as a sign.
When her mother read her a newspaper account of The Chocolate Pilot or Uncle Wiggly Wings, young Mercedes begged her mother to take her to the air field so that she too could get some of the candy. However, Mercedes could not compete with the older children for the treats and came away empty handed. That night she sent a letter to Lt. Halvorsen telling him that the planes kept her chickens from laying eggs but that if he would "please drop some candy there, all will be ok." Lt. Halvorsen, fearing that he would not be able to find Mercedes garden with the white chickens, instead mailed her a package of candy with a letter saying, "I hope that through what is with this letter, I give you a little joy."
The compelling Epilogue tells the "rest of the story." In 1972, then Col Halvorsen, again assigned to Tempelhof Air Field, was invited to dinner by a local Berlin family. He was greeted by Mercedes Wild, holding a letter she had received from a kind-hearted pilot over thirty years before. The two remain friends to this day!
Raven, Margot Theis. 2002. Mercedes and the chocolate pilot. Illus. by Gijsbert van Frankenhuyzen.
Chelsea, Michigan: Sleeping Bear Press. ISBN: 1585360694.
