Kids’ Books to Celebrate National Aviation Day
Happy National Aviation Day! This holiday celebrates all the great accomplishments the world has made in air travel. It’s amazing to think that some brilliant brains out there decided they wanted humans to be able to soar through the air and BAM! look where we are now! But, of course, it didn’t all happen in an instant. It took brave heroes testing the limits of flight and breaking down barriers to give us the ability to fly, but also the hope that anyone can steer the plane. Black, white, Asian, man, woman, or cat (okay, maybe not cats in real life but shhh)— the picture books featured in this list are all about persevering pilots, both real and fictional, who take to the skies and get the job done no matter what obstacles get in their way! Consider these empowering story time reads for your potential pilot-to-be.
With NASA photos and playful illustrations throughout, here is an incredible slice of hidden history and an introduction to the science of air and space for all ages.
One day in 1903 the Wright brothers entered a department store in Ohio to buy a bolt of fabric. The plain muslin cloth was most often used to make underwear. As it happens, the Wright brothers were about to wrap the simple cloth around the ribs of a mechanical ‘wing’ and dramatically change the world. Sixty-six years later, in 1969, Neil Armstrongtook a big leap onto the moon. With him was a swatch of the exact fabric the bicycle mechanics had purchased in 1903. Fifty-two years after that, in 2021, a remote-controlled car-sized explorer landed on Mars. Attached to the underside of a cable was a tiny piece of very old cloth—cloth that had almost become underwear. Almost Underwear is the story of that incredible piece of fabric, and the historic ‘firsts’ it stitches together.
Knocking down barriers one by one, Bessie endured racism and grueling training to become the first black female pilot and an inspiration to Mae Jemison, Josephine Baker, and many more influential people of color for years to come.
This moving, true story about a groundbreaking figure will inspire young readers to challenge barriers and reach for the sky.
The Mini Military series focuses on introducing young readers to the various branches of the US military. Lil’ Air Force Pilot highlights what it’s like to be in the US Air Force, focusing on uniforms and flight gear, and introducing toddlers to military vehicles, such as the fighter jets, helicopters, and bombers.
Perfect for military families, those with veterans in their family, or for anyone looking to expose their youngest readers to parts of American society, this book and the series is sure to inspire and celebrate our brave service men and women.
He’s afraid of the dark.
When he watches the groundbreaking moon landing on TV, Chris learns that space is the darkest dark there is, and through that lesson discovers that the dark isn’t just scary, but beautiful and exciting—especially when you have big dreams to keep you company.
It’s time to visit Gramps and Grammers and that means Waffles, Pancake, and Mom-Cat are taking a very early flight to get to maximize the fun-times! This is the kittens’ first airplane ride and while Pancake is excited to get on board, Waffles is a little more nervous: an airplane has wings, but airplane wings don’t flap! How does it stay up in the air?
With a little bit of science and a whole lot of imagination, the kittens are able to understand the mechanics of flight and enjoy the ride. Come fly the feline skies!
CatStronauts, you are needed!
When the world is thrust into darkness due to a global energy shortage, the Worlds Best Scientist comes up with a bold plan to set up a solar power plant on the moon. But someone has to go up there to set it up, and that adventure falls to the CatStronauts, the best space cats on the planet! Meet the fearless commander Major Meowser, brave-but-hungry pilot Waffles, genius technician and inventor Blanket, and quick thinking science officer Pom Pom on their most important mission yet!
Tallulah is great at piloting! And with her learner’s permit freshly reinstated, she has the perfect opportunity to prove it: filling in on the mail route to nearby stations while all the regular pilots are out sick. It’s her first big solo flight, and yeah, okay, her parking could use some work, but she’s not even a little bit nervous—she’s got Sanity along as copilot, plenty of old flight logs for navigation, and they’ll be in radio contact with Wilnick almost the whole time. All they have to do is follow the pre-approved route and stay out of the dangerous, uncharted, explosives-littered debris cloud . . . no matter how tempting a shortcut it is. Oh, and don’t cross the military blockade into the United Territories, obviously. See? No sweat!
Sanity and Tallulah’s pre-approved route didn’t say anything about space stations exploding, enemies in need of rescue, or getting caught in the middle of a border crisis in danger of escalating into all-out war, but sometimes totally awesome pilots have to change plans on the fly, and only an excellent copilot can keep things from going completely upside down.
Sanity and Tallulah’s pre-approved route didn’t say anything about space stations exploding, enemies in need of rescue, or getting caught in the middle of a border crisis in danger of escalating into all-out war, but sometimes totally awesome pilots have to change plans on the fly, and only an excellent copilot can keep things from going completely upside down.
Higher, Steeper, Faster takes readers inside the world of the brave men and women who popularized flying through their deadly stunts and paved the way for modern aviation. With heart-stopping accounts of the action-packed race to conquer the skies, plus photographs and fascinating archival documents, this book will exhilarate readers as they fly through the pages.
