History Chapters: The Wright Brothers Fly

On a windswept beach in North Carolina in 1903, American aviation finally took wing. The Wright Brothers Fly tells the soaring tale of how Orville and Wilbur Wright achieved the first controlled human flight in history. What was their inspiration? What was the drive behind their childhood dream? What were the solutions that the brothers found to the endless aerodynamic challeges they encountered? This absorbing and beautifully illustrated book follows the story of how the Wright Brothers' obsession with flight led to one of the greatest achievements of modern man.

Children's Literature

This title in the "National Geographic History Chapters" can serve as an accessible and high quality supplement to units on history or history of science or biography. The presentation starts with a brief description of the famous flight at Kitty Hawk and then jumps back in subsequent chapters to give a brief family history of the Wrights, of previous human efforts at flying, the evolution to powered flight, and finally a description of the airplane business the Wrights founded. That business, interestingly, was actually carried on by their sister Katharine Wright rather than Orville and Wilbur. The text is lavishly illustrated with photographs and reproductions of schematic drawings. Supporting material in the back includes a glossary, recommended resources (books and websites), an index, and tips about "How to write an A+ report." Photographs also serve as endpapers, and photo credits are provided—overall what you would expect from National Geographic. Reviewer: Paula McMillen, Ph.D.