The accuracy of this book can be relied upon because it was based on Charles Lindbergh�s own account of his transatlantic flight. The introduction by Jean Fritz includes her own childhood memory of the news accounts of the historic event. Burleigh, an award-winning writer, enjoys a fine reputation for his authentic nonfiction. This title was named the 1992 winner of the Orbis-Pictus Award for Outstanding Nonfiction for Children.
Burleigh conveys a sense of immediacy and excitement with his narrative writing style. �The use of the present tense keeps the reader in suspense from the moment the plane takes off until the moment Lindbergh sets the plane down in Paris thirty-three-and-a-half hours later.� (Hornbook Magazine, Nov/Dec 1991) The prose has a rhythm that engages even young readers with the variety of sentence lengths used. Not all critics, however, agree on the effectiveness of this technique. A writer for Kirkus Reviews thought the overall effect was awkward: �. . .a choppy, breathless tone is exacerbated by the relentless use of fragments and single-sentence paragraphs. . .� (August 15, 1991)
The greatest impact of the book is achieved through its brilliant design and artwork. The unique perspectives afforded through Mike Wimmer�s beautiful oil paintings serve to place the reader within the action. Like a movie, the adventure is seen from a variety of angles � over the shoulder of the pilot, through his legs, out the window of the plane, and outside the plane, looking in. There is no white space in the book; instead, all the art covers double spreads, with the text superimposed upon it. The soft, muted tones capture the historic era, the night shots convey adventure, and the plane emerging from night clouds into a brilliant blue sky represent the aviator�s relief at finally spotting land. Booklist describes the pictures as �exhilarating� in one writer�s review: �This artistic emotion, whether intimate (a close-up of Lindbergh guzzling water from his canteen to keep himself awake) or expansive (The Spirit of St. Louis aloft in a blue sky whose color mingles with the misty green of the sea), works terrifically with the terseness of the near-poetic text.� (September 1, 1991)
This book is a perfect choice for read-aloud with its lyrical rhythms, repetition, and vocabulary. Much of the story reads more like poetry than prose: �Space and time and deep, deep darkness: It is the other side of midnight, the loneliest hours.� The author uses descriptive words in new ways, in the style of a poet: �the wide day,� �the dense hum,� �the long ocean.� The book is an ideal introduction to a study of aviation for older readers, and can serve as a bridge to more advanced reading, perhaps of Lindbergh�s own book upon which it is based. Regardless of the age of the audience, they will surely be captivated by the majestic prose and bold illustrations in this worthy tribute to a great 20th century adventurer.
Source
Books in Print [database online]. Available from http://www.booksinprint.com. Accessed 31 March 05.
Related Websites
Charles Lindbergh: An American Aviator
Mike Wimmer Website
Award
NCTE Orbis Pictus Award
School of Library and Information Studies
TEXAS WOMAN'S UNIVERSITY