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The Hallelujah Flight
CCBC Review:
James Banning set out to be the first African American to make a transcontinental flight across the country with few resources but a single great idea: invite everyone who was willing to help him and copilot Thomas Allen along the way to sign the wings of the plane so that they could be part of the journey. Banning and Allen were relying on people to donate everything from fuel to food to a place to sleep as they traveled from place to place in the midst of the Depression in 1932. They weren’t always welcomed where they landed, and they sometimes faced overt racism, but they completed their historic flight thanks to the kindness of strangers whose names they carried with them. Phil Bildner’s fictionalized account of Banning and Allen’s optimism and accomplishment is distinguished by lively, language-rich storytelling and is set against John Holyfield’s buoyant, upbeat illustrations. ©2010 Cooperative Children's Book Center
Illustrated by John Holyfield
CCBC Age Recommendation: Ages 6-9
Age Range:
PreK-Early Elementary (Ages 4-7)
Grades 3-5 (Ages 8-10)
Format:
Picture book
Subjects:
20th Century
African Americans
Flight/Aviation
Historical Fiction
Kindness
Racism
Diversity subject:
Black/African
On CCBC Booklist:
Between Fact and Fiction: Selected Picture Books to Encourage Critical Reading/Thinking
Publisher:
Putnam
Publish Year: 2010
Pages: 32
ISBN: 9780399247897
CCBC Location: Picture Book, Bildner