Flying Free

How Bessie Coleman's Dreams Took Flight

Contributors

By Karyn Parsons

Illustrated by R. Gregory Christie

Formats and Prices

Price

$18.99

Price

$23.99 CAD

Format:

  1. Hardcover $18.99 $23.99 CAD
  2. Audiobook Download (Unabridged)

This item is a preorder. Your payment method will be charged immediately, and the product is expected to ship on or around December 1, 2020. This date is subject to change due to shipping delays beyond our control.

Based on Karyn Parson’s critically acclaimed Sweet Blackberry video series comes the story of Bessie Coleman, the first African American female to earn her pilot’s license.

Before Bessie Coleman blazed a high trail with her plane . . . Before she performed in death-defying flying shows that would earn her fame as “Queen Bess” . . . Before she traveled the country speaking out against discrimination, Bessie was a little girl with a big imagination that took her to the sky, through the clouds, and past the birds.

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.

Genre:

  • “A nice biography of a trailblazer who broke a glass ceiling in aviation for women, and for people of color.”
    School Library Journal
  • “[R. Gregory] Christie’s stylized illustrations bring life to Coleman’s trailblazing achievements.”
    Publishers Weekly
  • "[A] worthy introduction."
    Booklist

On Sale
Dec 1, 2020
Page Count
48 pages
ISBN-13
9780316457194

Karyn Parsons

About the Author

Karyn Parsons is best known for her role as Will Smith's cousin Hilary Banks on NBC's The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air. After leaving acting behind, Karyn has gone on to found and produce Sweet Blackberry, an award-winning series of children's animated films, to share stories about unsung Black heroes in history, featuring narration from stars such as Alfre Woodard, Queen Latifah, and Chris Rock. The videos have been screened on HBO and Netflix, and enjoyed by schools and libraries across the country. She is the author of Flying Free: How Bessie Coleman's Dreams Took FlightHow High the Moon, and Saving the Day. Karyn lives with her family in Providence, Rhode Island.

Learn more about this author