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Jumbo: The Making of the Boeing 747
For the 50th anniversary of the Boeing 747’s first commercial flight, a picture book about the development of the iconic passenger plane and how it changed the history of air travel.
In 1968, the biggest passenger jet the world had ever seen premiered in Everett, Washington. The giant plane was called the Boeing 747, but reporters named it “the Jumbo jet.”
There was only one problem. It couldn’t fly. Yet.
Jumbo details the story of the world’s first wide body passenger jet, which could hold more people than any other plane at the time and played a pivotal role in allowing middle class families to afford overseas travel. Author and illustrator Chris Gall, himself a licensed pilot, shows how an innovative design, hard work by countless people, and ground-breaking engineering put the Jumbo jet in the air.
On January 22, 1970, the Boeing 747 made it's first transatlantic flight, taking passengers from New York to Paris in seven hours.
In 1968, the biggest passenger jet the world had ever seen premiered in Everett, Washington. The giant plane was called the Boeing 747, but reporters named it “the Jumbo jet.”
There was only one problem. It couldn’t fly. Yet.
Jumbo details the story of the world’s first wide body passenger jet, which could hold more people than any other plane at the time and played a pivotal role in allowing middle class families to afford overseas travel. Author and illustrator Chris Gall, himself a licensed pilot, shows how an innovative design, hard work by countless people, and ground-breaking engineering put the Jumbo jet in the air.
On January 22, 1970, the Boeing 747 made it's first transatlantic flight, taking passengers from New York to Paris in seven hours.
48 pages, Hardcover
First published August 4, 2020
About the author
Chris Gall
29 books26 followersChris Gall has been drawing pictures for as long as he can remember. When he was caught doodling on his desk in second grade, his teacher suggested that he might become an artist some day, then made him clean all the desks in the classroom. In seventh grade, Chris won a Read Magazine Young Writers Award, and that inspired him to create stories to go with his art. After graduating from the University of Arizona, Chris became an award-winning, internationally recognized illustrator, and his artwork has been shown in almost every publication in America, including Time, Newsweek, People, Fortune, The New York Times, and The Washington Post.
In 2004, his first picture book, America the Beautiful, became a Publishers Weekly Best Children’s Book of the Year, and his career in children’s publishing began. Since then he has authored and/or illustrated 16 more books, including the acclaimed Dinotrux, a 2009 Publishers Weekly Best Children’s book; Revenge of the Dinotrux; Awesome Dawson; Substitute Creacher; Dog Vs. Cat and The Littlest Train. For grownups, he also illustrated and designed the PDT Cocktail Book, the 2012 Best New Cocktail Book, awarded by Tales of the Cocktail.
Chris has also worked as an adjunct professor of art at the University of Arizona and spent four years as a professional stand-up comedian. He currently lives in Tucson, Arizona, where in his spare time he works as a volunteer for the Southern Arizona Rescue Association (Pima County Search and Rescue).
In August of 2015, after 5 years of development, Dreamworks Animation brought Dinotrux to Netflix as an animated television show for children.
In 2004, his first picture book, America the Beautiful, became a Publishers Weekly Best Children’s Book of the Year, and his career in children’s publishing began. Since then he has authored and/or illustrated 16 more books, including the acclaimed Dinotrux, a 2009 Publishers Weekly Best Children’s book; Revenge of the Dinotrux; Awesome Dawson; Substitute Creacher; Dog Vs. Cat and The Littlest Train. For grownups, he also illustrated and designed the PDT Cocktail Book, the 2012 Best New Cocktail Book, awarded by Tales of the Cocktail.
Chris has also worked as an adjunct professor of art at the University of Arizona and spent four years as a professional stand-up comedian. He currently lives in Tucson, Arizona, where in his spare time he works as a volunteer for the Southern Arizona Rescue Association (Pima County Search and Rescue).
In August of 2015, after 5 years of development, Dreamworks Animation brought Dinotrux to Netflix as an animated television show for children.
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Displaying 1 - 28 of 28 reviews
September 12, 2020
An absolutely perfect book for any child who is obsessed with airplanes!! Supportive illustrations are amazing, while giving young readers an appreciation for the science behind the marvel of flight. My husband, who became a pilot after a long childhood desire of achieving such a goal, would have adored this book as a young boy. Best for readers 2nd grade and up.
December 22, 2020
NCTE Orbis Pictus Recommended Book 2021
"On September 30, 1968, the biggest passenger jet the world had ever seen was rolled out of the assembly plan. Thousands of people had come from around the world to watch. Cameras flashed and people cheered. The giant plane was made by Boeing Company and called the Boeing 747, but reporters named it the 'jumbo jet.' There was only one problem. The plane couldn't fly." - first two pages of narrative
Wow. Gall's illustrations reveal the magnificence of this plane and the unbelievable skill and collaboration it took to create, build and assemble. After a brief overview of the history of flight and how flight works (think drag vs. thrust, gravity vs. lift), Gall continues telling the story of how Boeing managed such an amazing feat. Seriously - the tail of this plane is over six stories high and the whole plane includes more than 4.5 million pieces!
DON'T MISS THE "OTHER" STORYLINE - throughout the book, readers see a young girl with toy airplanes, assembling model airplanes, riding in a car with her hand out the window (to demonstrate drag) and so forth. Then on the last page, there's a FEMALE PILOT who looks like a grown up version of this girl. (All other pilots illustrated are male.) In the "fun facts" back matter, there's small picture of the pilot and a note that "in 1984, Lynn Rippelmeyer became the first woman to captain the Boeing 747." Very fun. Your students may want to revisit the illustrations to examine what the girl is doing and then engage in further research about Rippelmeyer.
In the back matter, there's a fabulous AUTHOR'S NOTE with lots of pictures of Chris Gall assembling and then flying his very own plane!
"On September 30, 1968, the biggest passenger jet the world had ever seen was rolled out of the assembly plan. Thousands of people had come from around the world to watch. Cameras flashed and people cheered. The giant plane was made by Boeing Company and called the Boeing 747, but reporters named it the 'jumbo jet.' There was only one problem. The plane couldn't fly." - first two pages of narrative
Wow. Gall's illustrations reveal the magnificence of this plane and the unbelievable skill and collaboration it took to create, build and assemble. After a brief overview of the history of flight and how flight works (think drag vs. thrust, gravity vs. lift), Gall continues telling the story of how Boeing managed such an amazing feat. Seriously - the tail of this plane is over six stories high and the whole plane includes more than 4.5 million pieces!
DON'T MISS THE "OTHER" STORYLINE - throughout the book, readers see a young girl with toy airplanes, assembling model airplanes, riding in a car with her hand out the window (to demonstrate drag) and so forth. Then on the last page, there's a FEMALE PILOT who looks like a grown up version of this girl. (All other pilots illustrated are male.) In the "fun facts" back matter, there's small picture of the pilot and a note that "in 1984, Lynn Rippelmeyer became the first woman to captain the Boeing 747." Very fun. Your students may want to revisit the illustrations to examine what the girl is doing and then engage in further research about Rippelmeyer.
In the back matter, there's a fabulous AUTHOR'S NOTE with lots of pictures of Chris Gall assembling and then flying his very own plane!
December 12, 2020
Wow - beautiful illustrations and lots of great information about the making of the Boeing 747. I can imagine a kid crazy about airplanes pouring over this book. A must have for school and classroom libraries.
Read
December 7, 2020Perfect book for your little (or not-so-little) airplane fanatic. Oversized illustrations offering cutaways and lots of terrific details. Loved this.
August 22, 2020
This non-fiction picture book did exactly what it was supposed to do: it got me wanting to learn more about the 747 on the 50th anniversary of the creation of this magnificent aircraft.
Gall presents an overview of the development of the Boeing 747-100 aircraft, from concept to completion. It starts with a 2-page highlight of passenger flight, beginning with Otto Lilienthal's glider, the Wright Brothers 1908 Flyer (which carried the first passenger), several well known 1920's, '30's and '60's passenger planes, then devotes four pages to the four forces of flight (lift, gravity, thrust and drag) to give young readers a solid basis of concepts of flight, details many of the obstacles engineers faced with designing this immense aircraft on a short deadline, details its first flight, and finishes with the aircraft's end in the inventory of domestic passenger air carriers in 2018.
Gall does an outstanding job of explaining difficult concepts, with a conversational tone that is easily understood. The illustrations are simple enough to get across all of his points; they are bright and clear. The details will keep readers amazed as they will feel compelled to come back to take another look at them. The endsheets have relative size comparisons of different aircraft, from the Wright Brother's 1903 Flyer to seven different passenger airplanes to the 747 to a school bus. For kids who will see the school bus as large, the 747 is presented as "ginormous"!
Beautifully executed, aero-nuts like me will be happy looking at this one for hours - immersed in the visuals and facts presented in the book.
Highly Recommended for PreSchool-Grade 6.
Gall presents an overview of the development of the Boeing 747-100 aircraft, from concept to completion. It starts with a 2-page highlight of passenger flight, beginning with Otto Lilienthal's glider, the Wright Brothers 1908 Flyer (which carried the first passenger), several well known 1920's, '30's and '60's passenger planes, then devotes four pages to the four forces of flight (lift, gravity, thrust and drag) to give young readers a solid basis of concepts of flight, details many of the obstacles engineers faced with designing this immense aircraft on a short deadline, details its first flight, and finishes with the aircraft's end in the inventory of domestic passenger air carriers in 2018.
Gall does an outstanding job of explaining difficult concepts, with a conversational tone that is easily understood. The illustrations are simple enough to get across all of his points; they are bright and clear. The details will keep readers amazed as they will feel compelled to come back to take another look at them. The endsheets have relative size comparisons of different aircraft, from the Wright Brother's 1903 Flyer to seven different passenger airplanes to the 747 to a school bus. For kids who will see the school bus as large, the 747 is presented as "ginormous"!
Beautifully executed, aero-nuts like me will be happy looking at this one for hours - immersed in the visuals and facts presented in the book.
Highly Recommended for PreSchool-Grade 6.
September 8, 2020
The first Boeing 747 was built in 1968, though it did have one problem, it couldn’t fly! It was called a jumbo jet because it was so big. The plane had to use the same principles as other airplanes, a critical combination of lift, thrust and drag. Just to be built, a new factory had to be created that was large enough to house the process and the jumbo jet. The building is still the largest by volume in the world. New ways of driving the big plane, new giant-sized landing gear, and new safety measures had to be designed and practiced. A few months after the first plane came off of the assembly line to delighted crowds, the plane was ready for its first test flight. Get ready for a dramatic take off!
Gall delights in the size and scope of the jumbo jet as well as the incredible feat it was for Boeing to have it finished in only 28 months, building the plane and the factory at the same time. Readers are introduced to the concepts behind airplane flight and design, shown concepts for what the airplane could have looked like inside, and given information on the earliest flying machines. The scientific details are shared with clearly and as part of the overall story. Additional fun facts, a glossary and sources are offered at the end of the book.
The illustrations by Gall have a marvelous vintage vibe that places the book firmly in the 1960’s. They are clearly modern as well with detailed images of the plane, cutaways to show the interior, and detailed images of scientific concepts.
This nonfiction picture book soars! Appropriate for ages 5-7.
Gall delights in the size and scope of the jumbo jet as well as the incredible feat it was for Boeing to have it finished in only 28 months, building the plane and the factory at the same time. Readers are introduced to the concepts behind airplane flight and design, shown concepts for what the airplane could have looked like inside, and given information on the earliest flying machines. The scientific details are shared with clearly and as part of the overall story. Additional fun facts, a glossary and sources are offered at the end of the book.
The illustrations by Gall have a marvelous vintage vibe that places the book firmly in the 1960’s. They are clearly modern as well with detailed images of the plane, cutaways to show the interior, and detailed images of scientific concepts.
This nonfiction picture book soars! Appropriate for ages 5-7.
May 1, 2021
I remember as a child that on the weekends we would visit the airport to watch planes take-off and land. This was always a fascinating experience that was filled with awe and wonder. How could something so big take to the skies? Jumbo: The Making of the Boeing 747 is the kind of book that I would loved to have read as a child and is a must read for kids fascinated by aeroplanes.
The Boeing 747 was a plane that would revolutionise the aviation industry. It could hold more passengers than any other plane when it was introduced to the world and it made travel more affordable. The Boeing 747 was lovingly named the ‘jumbo jet’ and jumbo it certainly was.
In Jumbo: The Making of the Boeing 747 Chris Gall retells the story of the building of the world’s first wide body passenger jet. A brief overview of aircraft is a welcome introduction and pays homage to some of the first inventors of flying machines including Otto Lilienthal and Orville and Wilbur Wright. Gall then explains the important flight concepts of gravity, lift, thrust and drag. Simple, labelled diagrams and illustrations help readers understand these.
The rest of the book is then devoted to the 747 as Gall takes readers on the journey from its conception to its first flight. Readers learn about the design process, the challenges, testing, construction and its unveiling to the world on September 30th 1968 - unfortunately, whilst it may have looked the part it was’t going to be carrying passengers anytime soon as it couldn’t actually fly (the engines on display were fake as the real ones were still being manufactured). It wasn’t long though until the engines were fitted and the jumbo jet was ready to to take flight, but would it?
There is so much information packed into this read and even as an adult reader I was fascinated by much of what I read. From reading that the plane would be so big that a new factory had to be built in which to build it to learning that a staggering 4.5 million pieces are put together to build a 747 - and I thought building a LEGO set with 6,000 pieces was impressive! Everything was huge on the 747: it needed more wheels than any other plane, its tail was as tall as a six-storey building and it was a whopping two-hundred-and-thirty-one feet long.
A sub-plot sees a young girl feature throughout and at the end Gall introduces Lynn Rippelmeyer - the first woman to captain the Boeing 747. The young girl we see witnesses the unveiling of the 747, flies paper aeroplanes, helps explain scientific concepts, builds her own model aircraft and is a passenger on the first commercial flight on January 22nd 1970. This young girl bears a striking resemblance to the older lady who we see in the 747 cockpit.
I love the artwork; large and bold illustrations truly capture the enormousness of the aircraft and young children will be captivated. Some very cool fun facts and a helpful glossary round things off. In a lovely author’s note, Chris Gall tells his own story of building an aircraft and getting it airborne. Delightful end papers are filled with an array of aircraft which are drawn to scale, giving readers a sense of how big the 747 was. For comparative purposes, a school bus is included and the 747 looks absolutely ginormous.
Recommended for 6+.
The Boeing 747 was a plane that would revolutionise the aviation industry. It could hold more passengers than any other plane when it was introduced to the world and it made travel more affordable. The Boeing 747 was lovingly named the ‘jumbo jet’ and jumbo it certainly was.
In Jumbo: The Making of the Boeing 747 Chris Gall retells the story of the building of the world’s first wide body passenger jet. A brief overview of aircraft is a welcome introduction and pays homage to some of the first inventors of flying machines including Otto Lilienthal and Orville and Wilbur Wright. Gall then explains the important flight concepts of gravity, lift, thrust and drag. Simple, labelled diagrams and illustrations help readers understand these.
The rest of the book is then devoted to the 747 as Gall takes readers on the journey from its conception to its first flight. Readers learn about the design process, the challenges, testing, construction and its unveiling to the world on September 30th 1968 - unfortunately, whilst it may have looked the part it was’t going to be carrying passengers anytime soon as it couldn’t actually fly (the engines on display were fake as the real ones were still being manufactured). It wasn’t long though until the engines were fitted and the jumbo jet was ready to to take flight, but would it?
There is so much information packed into this read and even as an adult reader I was fascinated by much of what I read. From reading that the plane would be so big that a new factory had to be built in which to build it to learning that a staggering 4.5 million pieces are put together to build a 747 - and I thought building a LEGO set with 6,000 pieces was impressive! Everything was huge on the 747: it needed more wheels than any other plane, its tail was as tall as a six-storey building and it was a whopping two-hundred-and-thirty-one feet long.
A sub-plot sees a young girl feature throughout and at the end Gall introduces Lynn Rippelmeyer - the first woman to captain the Boeing 747. The young girl we see witnesses the unveiling of the 747, flies paper aeroplanes, helps explain scientific concepts, builds her own model aircraft and is a passenger on the first commercial flight on January 22nd 1970. This young girl bears a striking resemblance to the older lady who we see in the 747 cockpit.
I love the artwork; large and bold illustrations truly capture the enormousness of the aircraft and young children will be captivated. Some very cool fun facts and a helpful glossary round things off. In a lovely author’s note, Chris Gall tells his own story of building an aircraft and getting it airborne. Delightful end papers are filled with an array of aircraft which are drawn to scale, giving readers a sense of how big the 747 was. For comparative purposes, a school bus is included and the 747 looks absolutely ginormous.
Recommended for 6+.
April 6, 2021
There is so much here besides the story, though the story is good. Fact boxes teach some of the needed science, highlight vocabulary words and explain them on each page as well as in a glossary at the end of the book, illustrations throughout highlighting the text of the process of creating a plane that was HUGE and could FLY! The explanation of safety features and how they tested them was new to me and so very interesting. I will not be surprised if this book inspires many engineers and pilots toward an interest in studying flight careers as there are so many involved in the process of building a plane then and now. I loved the two page Take Off spread and the pages that lead up to it aptly depicting the tension of that moment of truth!
Super book that I feel I could revisit again and again! Don't miss the author's note and I am sure I will watch students ponder over the endpages of this one.
(I made a deal with myself years ago that the only transportation titles I would add would be those not in my collections, elevators, moving sidewalks, and escalators. Chris Gall has proven me wrong. This book is great.)
Super book that I feel I could revisit again and again! Don't miss the author's note and I am sure I will watch students ponder over the endpages of this one.
(I made a deal with myself years ago that the only transportation titles I would add would be those not in my collections, elevators, moving sidewalks, and escalators. Chris Gall has proven me wrong. This book is great.)
February 13, 2021
“But for millions of people who have flown in one, the 747 will always be ... the Queen of the Skies.”
Details the building of the Boeing 747, nicknamed the Jumbo Jet, which was requested by Pan American World Airways as a solution to the problem of early planes which were so small that flights were too expensive for most people to afford.
First appeared to the press on September 30, 1968, it was still not ready to fly. THe engines under the wings were for show only. There are a lot of interesting details here about how it was built, what the new modifications were, even the principles behind flight.
The Jumbo Jet was 2 1/2 times larger than any other passenger jets (at the time), included 4.5 million pieces and included ten million labor hours to produce.
The illustrations are phenomenal.
Details the building of the Boeing 747, nicknamed the Jumbo Jet, which was requested by Pan American World Airways as a solution to the problem of early planes which were so small that flights were too expensive for most people to afford.
First appeared to the press on September 30, 1968, it was still not ready to fly. THe engines under the wings were for show only. There are a lot of interesting details here about how it was built, what the new modifications were, even the principles behind flight.
The Jumbo Jet was 2 1/2 times larger than any other passenger jets (at the time), included 4.5 million pieces and included ten million labor hours to produce.
The illustrations are phenomenal.
December 14, 2020
This is the book for you if you love planes and flying. Since I like these things (but am not enthralled by them), parts of this book were tough for me to get through. Not only focusing on the building of the first jumbo jet, it also tells about the first ventures in flight and how planes fly (the science behind it). The actual making of the gigantic plane was really interesting. There are a bunch of cool facts in here too. Another neat thing is that the author built his own plane! (And there are pictures! ...author's note in the back).
January 2, 2021
This is a wonderful, information-filled book on the making of the Boeing 747. The illustrations have labels for readers to explore while they learn the history of why this plane was built, the building process and the flight testing performed before it is officially unused for flights.
This is a fascinating book that would make for a great addition in school and classroom libraries.
This is a fascinating book that would make for a great addition in school and classroom libraries.
January 23, 2021
JUMBO is an impressive nonfiction picture book. Large is size, dense in content, it is almost as mighty as the Boeing 747 itself. This tells the story of the original 747, but it also dives deeper into aviation history and science. A little too dense to be easily read aloud, but for a lap book or to have on your shelves to share with kids fascinated with airplanes, I can't recommend it enough.
November 30, 2020
A fascinating picture book about the creation of the 747. The whole family enjoyed this one. Full of infomration, including obstacles the engineers faced. A great read for kids interested in flight and STEM fields.
January 5, 2021
No wonder the last Jeopardy champ noted that the reading of children’s nonfiction picture books was his secret weapon for preparing himself with information! I learned so much just from this short but informative book about the making of the 747. Fascinating!!
January 9, 2021
As this book won a Nerdy, I was anxious to get a copy. It did not disappoint. Very cool illustrations, tons of background knowledge building, and just darn fascinating. Consider for elementary and middle level readers.
February 19, 2021
Great oversize, cutaway illustrations nonfiction picture book about the development of the iconic passenger plane and its place in air travel history. What impressed me most is the illustration showing how people once preferred dressing up to travel instead of looking like slobs.
April 14, 2021
I am not at all a nonfiction/things that go reader, but wow! This book was incredible! So many details, and it took me until the 2nd read to notice the child that grows up with the plane... brilliant!! My kiddos in my libraries will love this one!
December 6, 2021
This book was made for the 50th anniversary of Boeing's first commercial flight, so it is a great book for kids to read so that they can appreciate history and the wonders it holds. I recommend this for children to broaden their ideas and dreams, and appreciate scientific history.
October 28, 2020
I’m not a huge airplane fan, but it is fascinating to see how these huge planes were designed and built. Any big machine or airplane buff will love this intro to the Boeing 747.
December 17, 2020
I love planes! I only wish I got the chance to fly on a 747! Very informative book about how they work!
December 30, 2020
I learned a lot from this and liked the way it was done. Probably should move up to 4 1/2 stars just for the author's note about his experience building a plane. Kids will enjoy this and with how much Colorado kids love non-fiction maybe enough will hear it to have it nominated for CCBA.
February 1, 2021
The making of the Boeing 747, plus lots of cool science and facts about aviation and planes in general.
April 21, 2021
Very interesting and informative! Beautiful illustrations!
June 30, 2021
If you like airplanes at all, read this book! It is an amazing story about the first 747. It will knock your socks off!
August 17, 2021
Loved it!
September 16, 2021
Informative book for airplane enthusiasts of all ages
September 20, 2021
A good book for kids who are interested in planes.
December 28, 2021
Very cool. Helpful illustrations and analogies. Super interesting information
Displaying 1 - 28 of 28 reviews