Amelia Earhart

Children's Literature

The story of America's favorite aviatrix is told in another of the "First Biography Buddy Books" series. All of the books in this series follow the same, well-organized format. Each book opens with "Why Is He (She/They) Famous?" followed by one or more short chapters on the subject's youth. Tomboy Amelia prefers football to dolls and pants to skirts, although the accompanying photographs show ten-year-old Amelia wearing kite-sized hair bows and frilly dresses. Subsequent short chapters describe Amelia's adventuresome spirit and her love affair with airplanes. Readers will come away with a portrait of a feminist who set many aviation records. Amelia's sensational disappearance is dealt with quietly. Photographs and a map expand the concise text. A glossary, index, websites and important dates comprise the back matter. 2001, ABDO, $21.35. Ages 5 to 8. Reviewer: Candice Ransom