To Fly: The Story of the Wright Brothers

by Wendie C. Old, Robert Andrew Parker (Illustrations)

In the late nineteenth century, when Orville and Wilbur Wright were boys, most people thought that humans would never fly. Even those few who thought it might be possible had no idea how to build a flying machine that worked.

But the Wright brothers were different from most people. From early childhood on, they shared a fascination with flight and were determined to solve its mysteries. After many years of brainstorming and experimenting, they did just that: They invented, built, and, in 1903, flew the very first airplane.

This personable biography details the lives and work of the Wright brothers and reveals how their unique collaboration resulted in one of the most remarkable achievements of the twentieth century.

Genres: Biography, Picture Books, Science, History, Nonfiction, Childrens

48 pages, Hardcover

First published September 23, 2002

Reviews

[Tym · Rating 4 out of 5]

Much more detailed than I expected, this is an excellent introduction to the Wright Brothers and their many attempts at making a man fly. It also made great points on how both of the brothers were needed in their attempts as each had strengths that balanced the other’s weaknesses.

[Laura · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a great informational book about the Wright brothers and how from their early years they were determined to solve the mystery of flight. It is written in chapter form, even though each chapter is about 1-2 pages. The reading level is difficult but would be a great read aloud to second or third graders. It is filled with details about the Wrights. At the end of the book it gives a nice flight timeline.

[Claudia Moore · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book looks at the wright brothers and their life. From dreaming of flying as kids, to printing their own newspaper, to repairing and selling bikes, to creating a glider and flying it. This book talks about who they contacted for help and mentions others trying to invent airplanes at the same time. They also tested different wings to make their own chart for air pressure because the one at the time was old and not correct. This is a great book for a kid, or anyone, looking for a quick read with a lot of information on the wright brothers’ life. The back of the book also has a timeline, further readings, and notes. These would be great to go with the text. In case you forgot when something happened in the book, the time line is a great place to look. The illustrations are also very nice and go along with the story great. The pictures help tell the story and give you a break from just reading text. There are many bright colors that really stand out and go together well. Overall, I’d really like this book to use as informational text to teach kids.

[Bailey · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is the true story of the Wright brothers. It recounts how they grew from curious boys fascinated with flying, into men who used all their spare time trying to figure out how flying could be possible. It tells of all the hard work they went through to finally get their machine off the ground and become pioneers in the age of aviation.
This book was really well written; the fascinating story is told extremely well in a simple yet detailed manner. I also really liked all the pictures. They were colorful yet simple but got the feel of the book across nicely.
This would be an excellent book for young readers, to go along with a study of the Wright Brothers. Besides being highly educational and fun to look at, the book is also inspirational and encourages readers to follow your dreams even when they seem impossible.

[Dale Barlow · Rating 4 out of 5]

(Juv. Bio.) before 01.28.2024: the illustrator died in early Jan. '24; worked extensively with his illustrator wife (whose name escapes me); per my usual custom, when an author dies, I try to read something...seldom do I read an early reader non-fiction, so I will give it a go...; 01.28.2024: for such a short book, it packs a lot of information about how the two Wright brothers (both did not graduate from high school) worked diligently to be the first to fly an airplane; the illustrator (dec.) reportedly was "an avid flight enthusiast" and illustrator of over 70 books at the time this one was published; 2002 hardcover via Madison County Public Library, Berea, 48 pgs.

[Carlie Johnson · Rating 3 out of 5]

Grade: 3-5
Genre: Biography
Review: the book talked about all of the different struggles they went through just to be able to fly. It talked about their past occupations. It talks about how much planning they had to go through in order for this to work. I think it’s a good book to show how much work some things take.

[Frances Peek · Rating 3 out of 5]

Excellent, inspirational chapter book for fluent readers who enjoy aeronautics and want to learn more about the history of the Wright brothers. The amount of information depicted in the illustrations of this book is phenomenal!

[Annabelle Gibson]

After reading this book I think it is best for older kids because of how long it is. In terms of when I would use it in my classroom, I would use it when talking about the different modes of transportation worldwide. And how the have grown over time and exactly how they came to be.

[Frances · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great educational short chapter book for fluent readers. The illustrations are accurate and packed full of neat facts.

[Melissa · Rating 2 out of 5]

2.5

[Ami McNay · Rating 3 out of 5]

Great intro to the Wright Brothers.

[Laken Doom · Rating 5 out of 5]

This informational book appears to be just another chapter book however, once you open up and see the table of contents you realize it is actually a chapter picture book! I loved the way this book was written perfectly for children, it was informing yet comical and included wonderful pictures! The story is told about Orville and his brother Wilber and their journey to building planes and being the first men to fly! The story takes the reader through their life beginning in second grade when Orville's teacher tells him to put away his helicopter ideas. Each idea is separated into a new chapter where it is easy to determine each different idea is being created helping the students follow along and even stop where needed without interrupting the story. Turning kites into gliders then making the gliders larger and more controlled until finally creating an engine to install and ultimately create a plane! I really enjoy how the author Wendie Old includes how the brothers failed while creating the first in flight plane. The illustrations completed by Robert Parker appear to be done with watercolors and although they are not perfectly detailed the audience can still tell what is occurring and what characters are present. The illustrations give as much to the story as the words themselves, I really think the two went great together!! Wonderful book and could work for any grade level above 2nd I believe. I would want to use this as a read aloud then have students research the Wright brothers or other famous people throughout history that tried and failed several times before reaching their dreams.

[Leon Gray · Rating 4 out of 5]

SS5H3 The student will describe how life changed in America at the turn of the century.
b. Describe the impact on American life of the Wright brothers (flight), George Washington Carver (science), Alexander Graham Bell (communication), and Thomas Edison (electricity).

A great book that can be used as supplemental text that gives the biography of Wright brothers. Students could describe the trial error process the Wright brothers faced when constructing the plane and compare their difficulties when you (personally) are making the perfect paper plane. Students can write business proposal of materials needed to construct a plane in 1903 and compare those of present day plane materials and cost. Students could write "what ifs" about the Wright brothers never started building planes and stuck to bicycles what would they built and would the still become famous and significant figures in US history.

[Hayley Hancock]

This a great book for children because the illustrations are drawn in a cartoon-like manner and are very colorful and help give more detail to the text. This book is about the journey of how Wilbur and Orville Wright developed the first powered, sustained and controlled manned flight. This nonfiction story explains the ways the Wright brothers learned to build the glider that was the first one in the world to actually work. It tells about the failures of others and how they learned from others mistakes to make their own invention work. It’s an inspiring story because it shows how if you put your mind to something and if you work at it hard enough, you can accomplish it even when others doubted you. The Wright brothers never graduated high school yet they were the first to develop what nobody else could develop successfully. It shows how they worked together and made a perfect team and that without teamwork the dream would’ve never been possible.

[Abby Owens · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book was very informative. When I first picked it up I thought that it was a regular picture book but it turns out that it is a small chapter book disguised as a picture book. I really enjoyed the book and it was filled with a lot of worthwhile information.
This book is could be used for many different things. I think that it would be a great transition book for students that are just beginning to read chapter books. It would also be used to encourage students persevere through trials and to never give up on their dreams. It is also be an easy read for students to learn about the Wright Brothers.
This is a good book filled with so many interesting facts. It started with them as young boys playing with kites. They had always been fascinated with flying. Then it went through all of the stages of their lives leading to making the first flying contraption. I loved this story I thought that it was a great tale of the Wright brothers and their journey to flight.

[Jessica Sommers · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book is about the Wright Brothers and their invention of the first airplane! This is an informational book about the two brothers, Orville and Wilbur Wright. The book goes into detail about their early on interests and differences they had with each other, but all of these things combined resulted in them being able to create the first airplane.

I really enjoyed this book! I loved how it was very informative, yet not too much to read at one time. Each chapter has its own topic that is focusses on so it is very easy to follow along with the author. Even though it is a chapter book in some way because of the different chapters it is separated into, my favorite aspect was that it had illustrations to go along with the reading.

This book would be great to use in a classroom to teach students about the invention of the first airplane.

[Susan · Rating 4 out of 5]

When I saw this book this morning, I HAD to read it - the pictures and the format just drew me in, and it was fascinating. The format was one full page of pictures to about a page of picture book size (18 point) text. The author did a marvelous job telling the tale of two brothers who accomplished what no one else had, in part because of their ability to work so well together, sharing their strengths and supplementing their weaknesses. The illustrations were excellent, a valuable part of retelling this tale. And I came away knowing more about the Wright Brothers than I did before - great read!

[Ruth Mika · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is the story of the Wright Brothers, Orville and Wilber. They began to dream of flying when they were about 11 years old. They worked together their entire life and opened a printing shop and later a bicycle repair shop. They were successful business men but never gave up their dreams to fly. This profession served them very well and became the essential part in their first flying machine. Many glider specialists consulted with the Wright Brothers, but is was Orville and Wilber that received the credit for the first manned, self propelled plane.

[Lindsey · Rating 3 out of 5]

This transitional-chapter book is about the Wright Brothers, Orville and Wilbur and their trials and errors to creating the first flying machine. The story is provided with a timeline at the end of the book that is about all of the flight history, not just about the Wright Brothers.

I really enjoyed this book because I didn't realize how many other aircraft they had made that failed before they were actually successful. It blows my mind that anyone was able to come up with the idea and figure out how to make something that actually flies.

[Arinn Wall · Rating 4 out of 5]

In short, easy-to-read chapters, Wendie Old tells the story of the Wright brothers in a fun and factual way. This book highlights their failures and successes, and how they impacted the history of transportation through their innovation of the airplane.
I really enjoyed this book. It is informational, and the watercolor illustrations are beautiful.
I would recommend this to any of my students who are interested in history, aviation, or science. Very fun and factual book.

[Crista Goluch · Rating 4 out of 5]

We follow the Wright Brothers from the time when dad gives them a toy helicopter until they are presenting their invention around the world. We not only learn about their failures and successes, but also how they work together.

This is a great story for upper elementary students to read when discussing the late 1800's, inventions, flying, even cooperation and team work.

[SCES · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Wright Brothers are sooo interesting! The kids enjoy this book about how these brothers used creative thinking create Aviation! The chapters are short and the text is easy to follow. There are some complicated ideas about flight that take a little explaining. But this book is very good, overall.
-Susan

[Angelique · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is book is all about the Wright Brothers. It's a great book about their life; starting from their childhood through their life together. It tells you how they built and flew the first airplane. Engaging and motivating book middle school children.

[Katie Stein · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another hit picture book biography. Much longer and more text per page than most picture books. Mike made fun of the uber American can-do message but we read it a ton and it inspired Internet searches for photos of the first flight, which was fun for me, too.

[Cheryl · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great book. Very informative. Only complaint is that it had drawings and no photos like many of the other Wright Brothers bios. But still a very good book.

[Nick Cherry · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book is perfect if you are talking about the history of flying, or in general the Wright Brothers.

[Dakota Mcintosh · Rating 2 out of 5]

This is a very good informational book about the Wright brothers and thier struggles and accomplishments. It also contains more history on flying.

[Mary · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a really good historical book about the Wright brothers. It is written for kids but I, as an adult learned some new things. Good resources.

[Jocelyn Montalvo Cullum]

I registered a book at BookCrossing.com!
http://www.BookCrossing.com/journal/14180869

[Richard · Rating 5 out of 5]

An informative, easy to read book, perfect for elementary school students.