If You Were a-- Pilot

Children's Literature - Children's Literature

A career as a pilot must seem like a dream to many young people and this book takes a peek at this exciting career choice. The reader is given a brief history of aviation, a few details about a pilot's clothes and tools, and information about flight training. The text starts by taking the reader through a "day in the life" scenario with an airline pilot and then proceeds to cover some basic types of aircraft and the jobs that the pilots perform. Hot air balloons, ultra lights, rescue helicopters, fighter planes, crop dusters, air tankers (fire fighting planes), bush planes, business jets, cargo jets, and jumbo jets are all included in the book. The photos are large and colorful with a light and conversational text. It is wonderful to see that the student pilot is depicted as a teenaged girl and that the military pilot and the captain of a commercial airline are both women in the photographs. An African-American navy pilot is shown standing proudly in front of his radar domed, command plane and an Asian pilot is photographed examining the undercarriage of a jumbo jet. This is part of the "If You Were a..." series of books which include Astronaut, Ballet Dancer, Ballplayer, Construction Worker, Firefighter, Police Officer, Teacher, Veterinarian, and Zookeeper. 2000, Benchmark Books, Ages 6 to 10, $16.95. Reviewer: Sally J. K. Davies

School Library Journal

Gr 1-3-Both titles have attractive, colorful covers and are loaded with beautiful photographs-all in color except for several historical ones. Pilot is thorough despite the brief text. It includes a history of the field and a discussion of different kinds of planes and the jobs they perform. Women are shown as pilots-even in the military. Multiethnic representation is very limited, however. One possible drawback is the figurative language that may confuse children ("The cockpit is a brightly lit beehive of controls-"). Teacher includes both male and female instructors and students of many ethnic backgrounds. Again, a history of the profession and descriptions of different kinds of teachers are offered. Unfortunately, secondary schools are given short shrift. The page on "A Teacher's Clothing and Tools" is rather lame and unnecessary. Libraries that don't own Fay Robinson's Pilots Fly Airplanes (Child's World, 1996) or Tami Deedrick's Teachers (Bridgestone, 1998) may want to try Schomp's offerings.-Kate Kohlbeck, Randall School, Waukesha, WI Copyright 2000 Cahners Business Information.|