REVIEW: HAPPY AVIATION DAY!

​As the daughter of an aviator, I’m particularly happy about today’s holiday. And what better way to celebrate than to read a picture book about a woman who invented an airplane. So, without further ado, I present to you: 

​
​TITLE: WOOD, WIRE, WINGS: Emma Lilian Todd Invents an Airplane

AUTHOR: Kirsten W. Larson

ILLUSTRATOR: Tracy Subisak

PUBLISHER: Calkins Creek/2020

OPENING LINES: 
To Emma Lilian Todd, problems were like gusts of wind: they set her mind soaring.
Sometimes the problems seemed small, like where to find metal to craft her inventions. (Solution: she saved tin cans from her supper.)
But soon Lilian’s challenges ballooned.

​Emma Lilian Todd lived in a time of key inventions—the telephone, the sewing machine, the light bulb—but not usually inventions designed by women. That didn’t stop Emma Lilian Todd. Kirsten W. Larson tells the story of a woman who loved to tinker, to find out how things worked, to invent, and to re-think and re-design. Most importantly, this is the story of a woman who tried, and failed (and failed and failed), and then learned from her failures to see her dreams achieved. This book focuses on one part of Emma Todd’s life, but also captures little tidbits of her as a child and other fun facts. Some of my personal favorites were the story of her taking apart a clock & not being able to put it back together successfully (my dad did the same thing with a watch when he was a child), the quote about Lilian’s mom always encouraging her and making sure she had the tools she wanted (my dad taught me how to use tools from a young age), and the mention of her invention taking over her apartment. So many children (and parents) will relate to projects that take over their room, yard, basement (I grew up with a tinkerer dad who always had several projects going in our basement and garage). This book is inspiring story about a lesser-known woman in history who, through trial and error and perseverance, achieves her goals. It includes actual quotes from Lilian Todd, an author’s note and additional backmatter, and lovely illustrations by Tracy Subisak that depict the early age of aviation. This book soars to the top of my list of recommendations for nonfiction picture books—please read!
 
Read this review on Goodreads, Amazon or Barnes & Noble.