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Violet the Pilot
By the time she's two years old, Violet Van Winkle can fix nearly any appliance in the house. And by eight she's building elaborate flying machines from scratch, mind-boggling contraptions such as the Tubbubbler, the Bicycopter, and the Wing-a-ma-jig. The kids at school tease her, but they have no idea what she's capable of. Maybe she could earn their respect by winning the blue ribbon in the upcoming Air Show. Or maybe something even better will happen, something involving her best ever invention, a Boy Scout troop in peril, and even the mayor himself! A classic underdog story full of humor and sweetness and retro pizzazz, Violet the Pilot is both endearing and adorable. It'll fly right into your heart.
40 pages, Hardcover
First published March 13, 2008
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430 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 159 reviews
May 15, 2020
Enjoyed the online reading by Dolly Parton.
May 25, 2017
You know what, I'm taking credit for this. Normally, I wouldn't, but I brought it home from the library for Violet and she made me read it to her 3 times in 16 hours. I think I earned it. (also, it's a positive story about a little girl who likes to build and invent. I highly recommend it)
October 1, 2023
I LOVE THIS BOOK SO MUCH!! I re-read it for probably the 100th time and it’s still amazing
June 28, 2008
(The five-star rating is from Andy; the following review is by Sarah.)
I actually kind of like this book, although the plot itself is pretty formulaic. (The Dumbo formula, to be specific.) There are a couple problems, like the fact that other kids make fun of Violet for being different seems kind of tacked on. That is, it's essential to the formula, but it's mentioned almost as an aside. On the other hand, I am glad that the author didn't dwell on the teasing, because I certainly don't want Andy picking up any new ways to insult his friends at preschool.
Here are the things I do like about this book: First, the illustrations are great. Lots of interesting details, and pleasing to look at without being overly cute. Second, I like the fact that it's a book with a strong female protagonist, and that Andy loves it. He's just starting to care about "girl things" and "boy things," so I don't know how long this will last. And finally, while it's not a humor book, there is some humor in it, especially in some of the illustrations. I have very little patience for humorless children's books.
I actually kind of like this book, although the plot itself is pretty formulaic. (The Dumbo formula, to be specific.) There are a couple problems, like the fact that other kids make fun of Violet for being different seems kind of tacked on. That is, it's essential to the formula, but it's mentioned almost as an aside. On the other hand, I am glad that the author didn't dwell on the teasing, because I certainly don't want Andy picking up any new ways to insult his friends at preschool.
Here are the things I do like about this book: First, the illustrations are great. Lots of interesting details, and pleasing to look at without being overly cute. Second, I like the fact that it's a book with a strong female protagonist, and that Andy loves it. He's just starting to care about "girl things" and "boy things," so I don't know how long this will last. And finally, while it's not a humor book, there is some humor in it, especially in some of the illustrations. I have very little patience for humorless children's books.
December 7, 2017
I'm going to go against the grain with my review- I really didn't like this book. It starts out "she was weird! Unlike other girls because she liked to build things and wasn't interested in dolls and tea!" (soooo weird for girls...) "she didn't have friends.... boys called her names...." All because she didn't conform to outdated gender norms. Moral of the story is that she stuck to what she loved, worked to help people and withstood being a social pariah until she went above and beyond to prove that her interests and skills were valuable and was finally accepted- though still wasn't able to fully realise her goals/dream.
No thanks.
The narrative arch was good, as were the illustrations but I think the attitudes and assumptions of the characters were not anything I'd want to intentionally expose to a child.
No thanks.
The narrative arch was good, as were the illustrations but I think the attitudes and assumptions of the characters were not anything I'd want to intentionally expose to a child.
April 1, 2016
This is a wonderful book with great illustrations about a little girl who builds flying machines and the adventures she has with her dog Orville. My son loved it, too. I loved it because she rescued a troop of Boy Scouts! Pair this with "Rosie Revere, Engineer" for a great gift.
December 7, 2019
3.5
Cute story about a little girl named Violet, who's a self-taught pilot and aircraft engineer. There was a bit of the "not like other girls" trope in which Violet is teased for being different and not playing with dolls and tea sets, which I didn't love 100%. I was also confused when the ending implied that she won her parents' approval, but they seemed be pretty supportive throughout the book. Still, overall a fun and inspiring book, and I appreciated the representation of a girl interested in STEM and aviation.
Cute story about a little girl named Violet, who's a self-taught pilot and aircraft engineer. There was a bit of the "not like other girls" trope in which Violet is teased for being different and not playing with dolls and tea sets, which I didn't love 100%. I was also confused when the ending implied that she won her parents' approval, but they seemed be pretty supportive throughout the book. Still, overall a fun and inspiring book, and I appreciated the representation of a girl interested in STEM and aviation.
May 3, 2019
Violet the imaginative, talented, out of the box thinker ends up saving a bunch of boyscouts with her self made plane and finally gets respect from her classmates. The plot is formulaic, but the kids that I read it to LOVED it. One was itching to find a local junkyard to get started on his own inventions. Fantastic illustrations!
February 15, 2020
This is a fun children's book. My granddaughter enjoyed reading this to her little brother.
March 1, 2022
@that picture of you. Love it.
April 21, 2022
Acute imaginative book about making things out of other things.
July 15, 2022
Supposedly inspiring for girls as Violet is a “mechanical genius” and inventor. However she is made fun of relentlessly at school because she’s “different” and has to prove herself with her genius and skills to earn respect or friendship.
Also it’s terribly written. Sloppy sentence construction and lazy word choice.
Also it’s terribly written. Sloppy sentence construction and lazy word choice.
April 19, 2020
If you are looking for a book that will inspire your daughter in STEM fields, then this book is not for you. If anything, this book will discourage girls from learning more about science and engineering. There a few key reasons for this which I will detail below.
1. Violet has super-human intelligence that your child does not have. By the age of 2, Violet could fix "any" appliance. No child is that smart. And if anything, this will reinforce to your daughter that she is not smart enough for engineering, because [of course] she was not fixing all appliances by the age of 2.
2. Violet's engineering marvels appear to work the first time, every time. This is not how amateur engineering works. Amateur engineering means dealing with more failures than successes. Once again, your daughter will read this and think that she should give up if she isn't succeeding when first attempting to build things.
3. Violet's engineering projects are not remotely realistic. Her flying inventions are clearly too heavy and will not provide nearly enough lift. I know this is a children's book, but some scientific accuracy would have been nice. A single panel could have shown Violet reducing the weight or increasing the lift of her flying machines, but there is nothing like that here.
Girls showing interest in STEM fields is under served topic, unfortunately this book does nothing to adequately fill this niche.
1. Violet has super-human intelligence that your child does not have. By the age of 2, Violet could fix "any" appliance. No child is that smart. And if anything, this will reinforce to your daughter that she is not smart enough for engineering, because [of course] she was not fixing all appliances by the age of 2.
2. Violet's engineering marvels appear to work the first time, every time. This is not how amateur engineering works. Amateur engineering means dealing with more failures than successes. Once again, your daughter will read this and think that she should give up if she isn't succeeding when first attempting to build things.
3. Violet's engineering projects are not remotely realistic. Her flying inventions are clearly too heavy and will not provide nearly enough lift. I know this is a children's book, but some scientific accuracy would have been nice. A single panel could have shown Violet reducing the weight or increasing the lift of her flying machines, but there is nothing like that here.
Girls showing interest in STEM fields is under served topic, unfortunately this book does nothing to adequately fill this niche.
July 6, 2017
Violet is a mechanical genius and by the time she turned 8, she was building flying machines like the Tub-bubbler, the Bicycopter, the Rocket Can and others. Of course the kids at school hassle Violet because she's different ("Claude and Clyde Mulrooney were especially obnoxious.") Violet hopes that participating in the 14th Annual Air Show will earn her some friends at school. But, she gets sidetracked on the way to the air show ... deciding helping boy scouts in need was more important.
I love the illustrations, especially faithful canine sidekick Orville. Violet is an independent thinker, which makes her a good role model for readers. With the popularity of "maker spaces" these days, this would be a good read aloud to kick a project off.
I love the illustrations, especially faithful canine sidekick Orville. Violet is an independent thinker, which makes her a good role model for readers. With the popularity of "maker spaces" these days, this would be a good read aloud to kick a project off.
June 27, 2017
Mike bought this for Amaya at the Air and Space Smithsonian last week - a good pick! A sweet story about a smart girl who is creative, curious and kind. Triple threat. She builds her own planes and saves lives! Great illustrations, too!
May 30, 2017
Little girl builds her own airplane, saves boy scouts, was bullied in school, but is now a hero.
March 17, 2017
Ok there isn't anything that I don't like about this story. Violet the Pilot is a fictional book about a girl Violet Van Winkle who from a very early age could take apart things and reassemble them. At the age of eight she was building elaborate flying machines from scratch. Kids from school would make fun of her because she had no friends and would sit alone reading books. One day she sees a poster on a store window for an air show and decides she wanted to be apart of it. She couldn't wait to show off the hornet. On the day of the show she flying overhead when she saw a group of Boy Scouts in the river and they were in trouble. She swooped down and rescued them, this caused her to miss the show. That even while in bed she heard a crowd of people outside her window. The mayor came to award her the medal of valor. I love that a female was the hero of the story and that she accomplished what she did on her own without the help of a male character. Two of the main themes in the book are self-esteem and gender roles. From the first page we are told that she is "different" and not like other girls because she doesn't play with dolls or tea sets. The kinds of things that interest Violet are not socially acceptable as appropriate for girls. Through the plot of the story we see that it is OK to be different and to stay true to doing what you have a passion for because it is rewarding. We also learn that we have to believe in our selves even when no one else does and when you are persistent it pays off. Sometimes the people that criticize you will end up needing you. With the amount of words in the text I would say it is appropriate for older elementary school aged kids. The story is very interesting and the illustrations are nothing short of amazing. The illustrations are so realistic and you can tell the illustrator paid special attention to little details.
April 6, 2024
This was a book floating around my home while seeming to have been picked up from a free library.
Violet the Pilot explores the talents and dreams of the protagonist as she sets out to not only join a flying competition but also to make her own plane. And then on the way to the competition she is made to make a decision that will change not only her own life but others. As a result the story is kind of recycled and has been done before while in my opinion the other tellings have been much better than poor Miss Violet here.
What probably irked me the most with this particular story is the fact that Violet is your stereotypical girl genius bullied by boys who find her weird for her acts. As a result all the other children in school also bully her just as much for that as well as for the way she dresses due to her passion. At the same time she is a loner child with no human friends her age although honestly I could probably name a bunch of children who would love to be her friends just so they can spend time at her awesome looking house.
In the end it was a so-so story but one that would have been much better if the old tropes had been left at the door and an actual focus to make her a strong character like Pippi perhaps, which would have made the story a bit better.
Violet the Pilot explores the talents and dreams of the protagonist as she sets out to not only join a flying competition but also to make her own plane. And then on the way to the competition she is made to make a decision that will change not only her own life but others. As a result the story is kind of recycled and has been done before while in my opinion the other tellings have been much better than poor Miss Violet here.
What probably irked me the most with this particular story is the fact that Violet is your stereotypical girl genius bullied by boys who find her weird for her acts. As a result all the other children in school also bully her just as much for that as well as for the way she dresses due to her passion. At the same time she is a loner child with no human friends her age although honestly I could probably name a bunch of children who would love to be her friends just so they can spend time at her awesome looking house.
In the end it was a so-so story but one that would have been much better if the old tropes had been left at the door and an actual focus to make her a strong character like Pippi perhaps, which would have made the story a bit better.
June 10, 2020
This one was just ok to me.
Violet is a young girl and an engineering prodigy, specifically interested in aviation. Although she is teased and discouraged by others she sticks to her passions and is successful. I liked those aspects of the book, but I feel like these overarching themes were lost in the rest of the story. Rather than sticking those themes to a character who is relatable to children, Violet is totally unrealistic. She can fix another at the age where most kids are trying to figure out potty training. She’s never really met with an obstacle that seems challenging or that she fails at the first time. She’s even able to rescue an entire troop of Boy Scouts and fit them into her small plane. It just seemed like too much to me. I would’ve rather see seem Violet have some struggles with engineering aspect of the book outside of bullying (which Violet doesn’t seem to be too phased by, another thing that’s unrealistic for actual children). I feel like that would show more grit in the character.i did really enjoy the illustration style although the colors chosen were not always my favorite.
Violet is a young girl and an engineering prodigy, specifically interested in aviation. Although she is teased and discouraged by others she sticks to her passions and is successful. I liked those aspects of the book, but I feel like these overarching themes were lost in the rest of the story. Rather than sticking those themes to a character who is relatable to children, Violet is totally unrealistic. She can fix another at the age where most kids are trying to figure out potty training. She’s never really met with an obstacle that seems challenging or that she fails at the first time. She’s even able to rescue an entire troop of Boy Scouts and fit them into her small plane. It just seemed like too much to me. I would’ve rather see seem Violet have some struggles with engineering aspect of the book outside of bullying (which Violet doesn’t seem to be too phased by, another thing that’s unrealistic for actual children). I feel like that would show more grit in the character.i did really enjoy the illustration style although the colors chosen were not always my favorite.
May 1, 2025
Violet the Pilot tells the story of a young girl named Violet who loves building flying machines. She’s incredibly smart and creative, often working in her garage inventing new aircraft. Even though other kids tease her for being different, Violet stays true to herself and eventually gets the chance to show what she can do in a big air show (ChatGPT, 2025).
I really liked this book because Violet is such a great example of a girl who doesn’t give up on what she loves, even when others don’t understand her. The story is fun and easy to follow, and the pictures are colorful and detailed. I think kids will like how Violet is both kind and brave. It's also nice to see a book where a girl is good at building and inventing things—it breaks the usual stereotypes.
I would use this book in a 1st through 3rd grade classroom to talk about confidence, creativity, and being yourself. After reading, we could discuss what makes Violet special and how everyone has their own talents. A fun activity could be for students to draw or design their own invention, just like Violet. This story also gives a chance to talk about girls in STEM , in a way that’s exciting and age-appropriate.
I really liked this book because Violet is such a great example of a girl who doesn’t give up on what she loves, even when others don’t understand her. The story is fun and easy to follow, and the pictures are colorful and detailed. I think kids will like how Violet is both kind and brave. It's also nice to see a book where a girl is good at building and inventing things—it breaks the usual stereotypes.
I would use this book in a 1st through 3rd grade classroom to talk about confidence, creativity, and being yourself. After reading, we could discuss what makes Violet special and how everyone has their own talents. A fun activity could be for students to draw or design their own invention, just like Violet. This story also gives a chance to talk about girls in STEM , in a way that’s exciting and age-appropriate.
April 4, 2018
This story is excellent for so many reason! Violet being a female pilot is one. This can empower young girls to do anything they set their minds to no matter if they are a boy or a girl, or even a young age. In addition, this story celebrates differences, but still gives a taste of the negative things that may happen for being different, like the bullying from the twin boys. Certainly the boy scout troop needing rescuing were not negative towards Violet's abilities and ingenuity! I think what is most important here is that, yes, Violet was bullied for being different, but her uniqueness lead to such great things, even though she did miss the air show. I also liked the implementation of a trusty animal companion in this story! This book was in good condition and had creative illustrations!
June 1, 2020
There is so much to love about this book. The narrative is satisfying and entertaining, the illustrations are lovely and I'm all for books that celebrate pursuits in STEM, especially for young girls. I especially loved the blueprint-style diagrams at the end and the way the book encourages and inspires inventive upcycling projects. However, it falls just short of a five star rating. Perhaps I'm reading into it too much but the line " while other girls liked playing with dolls and tea sets" really irked me, as it seemed to imply that these stereotypical feminine pursuits somehow made the other girls inferior. In a book that I can only assume is trying to be feminist and empowering it's frustrating to feel that girls are being pitted against each other right from the start.
July 13, 2019
Add this one to your Girl Power book basket because it's a keeper! Violet send the message that you can do what you like - taking things apart, putting them back together and building things that can fly - and be successful. Just do it. She is a bit of a loner with a mind of her own and will ring true to many young people out there. The illustrations are fantastic - actually that is what drew me to the book in the first place. Violet is a pretty cool kid - she even gets bugs in her teeth!
August 1, 2019
Why would I write review for a children's book? It's because Violet the Pilot is a fantastic.
There's the story, first of all. It's empowering without being in your face about it.
Then, there's Violet herself! Such a loveable character! And who can forget her adorable dog, Orville?
The illustrations are also lovely. They appear simple at first, but there's so much detail hidden on each page.
It's whimsical, charming, and empowering! Such a great book for kids (and adults alike!)
There's the story, first of all. It's empowering without being in your face about it.
Then, there's Violet herself! Such a loveable character! And who can forget her adorable dog, Orville?
The illustrations are also lovely. They appear simple at first, but there's so much detail hidden on each page.
It's whimsical, charming, and empowering! Such a great book for kids (and adults alike!)
March 26, 2025
Violet Van Winkle loves to build amazing flying machines. Even though some kids tease her for being different, Violet stays true to herself and follows her passion. When she builds a fantastic airplane for the Air Show, she faces exciting challenges and proves that being creative and brave makes her a hero.
This book teaches us to believe in ourselves and follow our dreams, no matter what others say. Plus, the illustrations are really cool!
This book teaches us to believe in ourselves and follow our dreams, no matter what others say. Plus, the illustrations are really cool!
June 7, 2017
One of my favorite books to read to my daughter. Granted, that may be because her name is Violet, and she may own a pilot's cap, but I like to think it's because Violet the Pilot is a great story about a little girl is intelligent, inventive and brave. Highly recommended to read to boys and girls alike.
June 10, 2017
This book. THIS BOOK. My goodness, not only did this book have an AMAZING message, but it made me LAUGH so much. This book is the embodiment of empowerment. This book shows that no matter who you are, you will face adversity and you can absolutely overcome it. You should always do what you think is right. Perseverance and faith in yourself is what you need! BE WHO YOU WERE MEANT TO BE!!
December 10, 2017
This book is more than a story about a girl who loves to fly, it is about imagination, inventions, being true to yourself, and choosing to be helpful over personal wishes. I would pair this with any great science process picture book, like "The Most Magnificent Thing", among others. Wonderful story!
March 11, 2019
This is a cute story that we received through Dolly Parton's Imagination Library. I love seeing how Violet was willing to set aside her desire to fly in the air show in order to rescue those who had been unkind to her. Shares great messages of putting others first and responding in kindness as well as creativity and imagination.
November 11, 2019
Fabulous children's book for ages 3-8. It is intelligent, comical, endearing, and morally educational. Illustrations are clear and inspire imagination and creativity, as does the story. This book is empowering for girls and for any children who have ever felt out of place or strange in mainstream school.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 159 reviews