L'incroyable exploit d'Elinor

by Tami Lewis Brown, François Roca (Illustrator)

Elinor Smith devient à seize ans la plus jeune pilote des Etats-Unis. En 1928, elle se donne pour défi de voler sous les quatre ponts de la ville de New York.

Genres: Biography, Picture Books, Nonfiction, History, Childrens, Feminism, Aviation

42 pages, Hardcover

First published April 1, 2010

About the author

Tami Lewis Brown is the author of the novel The Map of Me and the picture book Soar, Elinor!, illustrated by François Roca. She holds an M.F.A. in writing for children from Vermont College and lives in Washington, D.C.

Reviews

[Amy Hyde · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book begins by telling the story of how a young girl, Elinor Smith, sparked her dream of becoming a pilot on the day that she took a ride in a rickety biplane in a potato field. Elinor was lucky enough to have parents who knew what it was like to have big dreams and helped her toward her very big dream. The book continues to tell about her first time flying a plane and her perseverance in the face of the men who told her a woman couldn’t fly. When a jealous pilot challenged her abilities, Elinor faced the challenge and exceeded it despite all odds. This biography is yet another example of an amazing woman who achieved a feat when the odds were against her simply because she was a woman. This book encourages young women to fight and grapple for their goals, especially when people tell them they cannot or should not.
This biography is a picture book with beautiful illustrations that is appropriate to be read aloud in any grade level. It is great for a lesson on perseverance or growth mindset, due to Elinor’s achievements in the face of adversity. It would be an excellent choice when teaching the biography genre, as a way a biography can be presented in a story sort of fashion, but still hold true to the genre. This book could be paired with other books about pilots, women and men alike, to point out similarities and differences between the texts.
Biography is one of my least favorite genres. I don’t enjoy reading biographies because most of them read like a list of events in someone’s life. Many biographies take great and amazing achievements and dwindle them down to a list of events. I read many biographies in the search for one that told me a story and kept me captivated throughout. This book drew me in with the illustrations and kept me interested with the story-like telling of a dream achieved. I loved the colorful descriptive language used throughout, so that I felt like I wasn’t reading a biography, but enjoying a story about a girl who wanted to fly.

[Dolly · Rating 4 out of 5]

The narrative of this book succinctly captures the beginning of Elinor Smith adventurous life of flying. The fact that Ms. Brown was able to actually meet with Elinor is amazing, and to have worn her flight helmet and hold her goggles to her face was surely a moment that the author will treasure. I love that she was even able to fly in an aircraft similar to the one Elinor flies in the story.

François Roca's oil painting illustrations are wonderful, bringing the excitement of flying alive. In particular, the cover image (also used in the story) is quite lovely. The author's note and page with sources used by the author are informative and give the reader additional background information about Ms. Smith's life.

I've had lots of opportunities to visit our local libraries lately, and I've been reading quite a few picture books, especially ones about women, since it's Women's History Month. I saw this book displayed and knew I just had to read it.

First, because it's about a pioneer in aviation, who happens to be a woman. And second, the book reminded me of my own grandmother, who owned her own plane around the same time as the events in this book.

I never really knew much about my grandmother's aerial exploits, but I recently found a black and white photo of her next to her plane with her flying gear on and I wish that I could have talked with her about her experiences.

When I wrote an essay as part of my application process to join the United States Air Force and become an aviator, I mentioned that I was inspired by her sense of adventure and wanted to follow in her footsteps and wanted to say,

"Oh, I have slipped the surly bonds of earth,
And danced the skies on laughter-silvered wings." (from High Flight by John Gillespie Magee, Jr.)

After a 21-year career in the service, I suppose I did. And perhaps she would have loved that I traveled even more than she did, flying all over the world. But we will never have that conversation.

So, it's by reading a book like this that I pay homage to my roots, to the aviators who have gone before me, including Grandma Mary. And perhaps, by reading a book like this, a future aviatrix may be inspired, too.

[Heidi · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this book. The combination of gorgeous illustrations and great text pair nicely in this title. I am also a big fan of books about people following their dreams and passions. I appreciated how Elinor's parents encouraged her in her dreams despite their unconventional nature. And one can't help but admire Elinor's courage and spunk in proving to herself and the world that women pilots were just as good as men. The longer text does make it more appropriate for older children, but the topic makes for a great sharing book. The topic would fit beautifully into discussions of American or women's history. The information at the end about the interviews with the real Elinor and the photographs are a great addition. I appreciated that the author went right to the source for her information (she interviewed Elinor herself). I highly recommend this book for curricular or personal use. The story can be enjoyed by anyone who appreciates courage and determination as well as the power of dreams.

[Abby Johnson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Move over, Amelia Earhart, here's a great picture book biography of another female pilot. After earning her pilot's license at age 16 (the youngest person, boy or girl, to do so), Elinor Smith was not taken seriously by the press or by male pilots. When a male stunt pilot dared her to fly under a New York City bridge, Elinor accepted the challenge and one-upped him by flying under four bridges in one day. An inspiring book about following your dreams, even when the odds are stacked against you. This is a valuable addition to Women's History units and book lists.

More on the blog: http://www.abbythelibrarian.com/2010/...

[Samantha DeVoir · Rating 5 out of 5]

Such a wonderful book. I loved reading this and would even enjoy having it in our home library as it not only has a great historical story but the illustrations are vibrant and beautiful. I don't know why I didn't know about Elinor from history lessons in school though, such a fun story that encourages following dreams AND putting in hard work.

[Parker Burrows · Rating 5 out of 5]

Elinor Smith is a true trailblazing woman! This nonfiction novel tells the story of how Elinor Smith wanted to fly a plane, however, was told by many men that she couldn't so of course she proves them wrong. This novel would be a great read for 4th graders and above! In the book, Elinor gets her pilot licenses at just age 16 and does a flying maneuver that people thought was impossible before Elinor showed it was possible. This book is a WOW book to me because Elinor is an inspiration to all of those women who have been told they can't do something to do it because they want to or love to.

One activity I could do with this book is read it as an introduction to a trailblazer project. This book can introduce the concept of who a trailblazer is and lead into a research project of other trailblazing men and women. Another activity I could do with this book in my classroom is using the Guess Yes or No Framework. I would choose statements from the novel that are true and false and students will guess where they will occur or not. Then as we read as a whole class, students will find evidence that supports or disproves the statement. I think this framework helps students comprehend the text better and with a book like this, understanding the impact Elinor Smith had for persevering as a woman is an important lesson.

[Anna · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great book! The illustrations are awesome and the story (kind of a biography) is written really well. It flows nicely and it really is an interesting story. I've never heard of this pilot before so that was awesome to learn about her. Plus, I found it really cool how the author took so much researching and time to write this book (it is explained at the end of the story). I also enjoyed the questions within the story. Those really made certain parts suspenseful and that was fun to experience. Highly recommend reading this!

[Kyra Rickenbach · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a really good book about Elenor Smith and how she became a pilot even though it was thought that females should not fly at that time. Elenor stood up for herself and performed some of the hardest plane maneuvers. I would have this book in my classroom to teach kids to work towards their dreams no matter what other people say.

[Makenna Conner · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book would be great to read during Women's History Month. This nonfiction picture book features great illustrations and the information is written in a narrative format which is fun and engaging for students.

[Jill Lewis Smith · Rating 5 out of 5]

Lovely coffee table quality book for pilots to share with their children and grandchildren.

[Eric Hinkle · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fantastic

[Camden Anderson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Adorable book! A fun book to read during Women's History Month because it is about one of the first female pilots! A good book to show girls that they can do whatever and become whoever they want.

[Bethe · Rating 3 out of 5]

I would have loved this bio when I was young - couldn't read enough bios about girls. Very well researched, lots of back matter. Couldn't find an explanation as to why her plane that she flew under the bridges had her father's name on it.

[Margo Tanenbaum · Rating 5 out of 5]

This stunning new picture book, by Tami Lewis Brown, tells the story of Elinor Smith, who by the time she was six years old knew she wanted to fly. But in 1917, girls were supposed to stay on the ground. From the time Elinor first begged her dad for a $5 ride in an airplane, she was hooked, and by the time she was sixteen, she was the youngest licensed pilot in the United States--boy or girl.

Like the much better-known Amelia Earhart, Elinor became world-famous in her day, and at age 19 was named best woman pilot in the U.S. by the nation's flyers. She achieved this fame partly by taking a dangerous dare from a fellow pilot--to fly under one of the bridges across New York's East River. But that wasn't daring enough for Elinor--she'd fly under all four of the bridges in one trip! No one had ever succeeded in such a crazy stunt--and flying under bridges was illegal as well. Can Eleanor do it?

In her first published book, Brown highlights for contemporary readers the inspiring story of a young woman who succeeds against the odds. She documents the development of Elinor's passion for flying, some of the obstacles she faced, and also her careful preparation for her challenging stunt. We then fly along with her as she flawlessly executes her spectacular flying stunt, even as unforeseen conditions pop up.

The book's appeal is greatly increased by its handsome illustrations by French artist Francois Roca, whose splendid paintings, rendered in a nostalgic realistic style, make us feel like we are soaring in a small plane along with Elinor. The well-paced narrative, with its refrain of "Soar, Elinor, Soar," would make it an ideal read-aloud for elementary school classes, as well as for parents looking for inspiring stories for their children.

This well-researched book includes an author's note providing additional biographical details on Elinor's life, as well as a brief bibliography. Brown was fortunate to be granted hours of interviews by Ms. Smith, who died earlier this year at the age of 98, as well as access to her personal collection of papers and photographs.

[Karen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Why do we hear so much about Amelia Earhart when there is also Elinor Smith? That is the question I was asking myself after I read this book. I learned a small amount about Elinor in The Life and Disappearance of Amelia Earhart, so it was fascinating to learn even more about her in this book, Soar, Elinor! Elinor Smith was the youngest person ever to get their pilots license. She was also record holders in many different areas of aviation. While this story mainly focuses on her flight where she was trying to fly under the four bridges of the East River in New York, it is even more of a story about following your dreams. Elinor was very fortunate to have parents who would help encourage her to follow her dreams.
Tami Brown had the best source for this book... Elinor herself. She interviewed Elinor and also looked at all of her memorabilia. She also went flying in a plane just like Elinor's to get the full effect of what it would have felt like.
The illustrations in this book are beautiful and very accurate to the time in which this story is told. The pictures are also very realistic, but also done in a very soft way. They also do a great job of giving perspective to what Elinor may have seen when she went on her flights.
I would recommend this book to students in grades 2-4. I think they would especially appreciate it if they are working on a biography project or if they need to learn about famous Americans. If I were to teach this story, I would use it to teach main idea, which goes with the common core standard that states that students need to determine the main idea of a text; recount the key details and explain how they support the main idea. I feel this is fitting because not only do we have the main idea of learning about this amazing person, but we also have the main idea of following your dreams.

[Valerie Barnhart · Rating 5 out of 5]

1. twin text for flight books
Flight School by Lita Judge copyright 2014

2. This is a lively nonfiction book of the ambition of a young woman, Elinor Smith, in the early 1900's. She grows up with the strong desire to fly in the sky. As a student, she learns to fly and takes a solo flight at age fifteen. She meets Charles Lindbergh. She flies beneath the four bridges in Manhattan and with the last bridge she turns the plane to a vertical bank to avoid hitting ships in the water. This was against the law, but Elinor had accomplished her goal.

3. This text is nonfiction. It is in descriptive form with author's notes and sources.

4. This text would be a book to use as a comparison to the twin text. Comparing Elinor's dreams and ambitions to that of the penguin. What lengths were each of them willing to go to reach their dreams? Set up the similarities and differences in a Venn diagram. I would use this text with the twin text to compare the values that are expressed and the never-ending spirit of Elinor and the penguin.

[Angie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Looks like I was behind the times coming to this one but I'm so glad I did. What an interesting person! Will have to add her to our third grade wax museum list.

I really like picture book biographies ... especially the well done ones. This tells enough of the story to give a good picture of her life from childhood to the experiences that made her famous, but without so much detail that a child reader gets bored or distracted or bogged down in difficult text. If they need more information there are, of course, other places to go--including the notes at the end that talk about the research the author did.

Plus the illustrations are just beautiful at giving a sense of time and place.

I won a Skype visit for our students from the author last week. Can't wait to figure out which class will participate and talk more with her about it.

[Tricia · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fascinating biography of Elinor Smith, who few may know as a aviation pioneer in lieu of the obvious (Earhart, Lindburgh). Not simply about flying, this book encourages children to follow their childhood dreams and to not to "no" for an answer. There is also a message for parents about encouraging our children's dreams. My almost kindergartener ate this book up and then asked if we could find anything about Elinor online. Have to love the books that spark their interest for more research. Book includes author's note and additional resources.

[Deborah · Rating 4 out of 5]

I had never heard this story of a woman pilot who flew before it was acceptable to do so. It's about going after your dreams (nice mention of supportive parents who weren't allowed to follow theirs). I really liked the author's research: In addition to interviews and reading, she wanted to fly a plane like Elinor's as part of her inquiry, but very few still exist. She found an antique still in use, although it was a little newer than the one Elinor flew, and went up in it with her son, "to experience firsthand" what Elinor had experienced. Now THAT is research.

[Claire Talbot · Rating 4 out of 5]

an inspirational picture book about Elinor Smith, the young woman who on October 21, 1928 flew her Waco 10 under all four bridges in New York City. In 1930, at the age of 19, she was voted the best woman pilot in the United States, beating Amelia Earhart, Louise Thaden, and others. In 2000, at the age of 89, she became the oldest person to "fly" the NASA space shuttle simulator. Her feelings were "children must be allowed to dream and have a horizon to work toward. She knew from the age of six that she wanted to fly.

[Alyssa Garrison]

Biography:

Another dream-chasing story is Soar, Elinor. The story follows Elinor Smith's journey to fly solo, though it was difficult due to the fact that she was a) young and b) a woman. This story too provides ambition for children to not let people dismiss them because they are young. It also relates to the historical times when issues such as gender and age were much more influential than today.

[Kylee S · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was enjoyable with a lot of information about Elinor Smith. She new at a very young age that she wanted to fly. However, in the time she was young women were not supposed to. She ended up being the youngest licensed pilot in the US. This book gives a lot of facts and information about her life and I think children would learn a lot by reading this.

[Teresa Garrett · Rating 5 out of 5]

Story of Elinor Smith who became a pilot in the 20's when it was considered unladylike. She accepted a challenge to fly under the bridges in NYC which could have resulted in the loss of her pilot license. I really like the shorter picture book format biographies.

[Charlotte Osborn-bensaada · Rating 4 out of 5]

Beautiful illustrations. When one thinks of early female aviators Amelia Earhart hogs the stage. This book opens the reader to another female that set many records and had the advantage of living to 89.

[Miri Gifford · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fantastic biography for kids who are in the "girls can't do ___" / "boys can't do ___" stage. Elinor started flying as a child, competed against (and beat) the men in her field, and still holds flight records in the U.S.

[Barb Keister · Rating 5 out of 5]

"Children must be allowed to dream and have a horizon to work toward..." Story of Elinor Smith who challenged convention and followed her dream of flying airplanes. Questionable message, but beautifully illustrated.

[Alexis Davis · Rating 3 out of 5]

With breathtaking illustrations, this picture book displays the daring life of Elinor Smith and her desire to be a better pilot than any man. I think it is important for children to learn about people such as Elinor from history and appreciate their achievements.

[Maggie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wonderful biography for grade 1-3 about the youngest pilot to fly a plane. She flew under 4 bridges in a row in New York City. JP

[Tracie · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really loved this story about a young girl pursuing her dream of flying - based on a true story. Inspiring.

[Deborah · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great to have this kind of bio for girls to be inspired and everyone to enjoy - well written and great illustrations!