Search Results: 7 books from 1 publisher. Learn more

Aim for the Skies: Jerrie Mock and Joan Merriam Smith's Race to Complete Amelia Earhart's Quest

Aimee Bissonette (author) Doris Ettlinger (illustrator)

Publisher: Sleeping Bear Press ISBN: 9781534126404

When she was seven years old, Geraldine (Jerrie) Mock took her first airplane ride. She decided then and there to be a pilot. Growing up, she was inspired by radio broadcasts detailing the travels of aviatrix Amelia Earhart. Joan Merriam was 15 when she took her first plane ride in 1952. She got her pilot's license before she could even drive a car. And like Jerrie, Joan too was inspired by Earhart and wanted to circle the globe, following Earhart's exact route. Years later, when both women begin to plan their dream flights, they are completely unaware of each other, and coincidentally pick the same time to depart. But when the media gets word of their plans, the stage is set for the race of a lifetime. This picture book retells the extraordinary story of the 1964 air race between Americans Geraldine Mock and Joan Merriam Smith, the first two women to fly around the world.

Bernida: A Michigan Sailing Legend

Tom Ervin Al Declercq (author), David Miles (illustrator)

Publisher: Sleeping Bear Press ISBN: 9781627536738

Originally built in 1921 to race in the ocean, a sailboat named Bernida captures the attention and heart of a Michigan sailor. He buys the boat and brings her to the Bayview Yacht Club in Detroit. In 1925 the sailor enters Bernida in the very first Port Huron to Mackinac Island Race.

A is for Airplane: An Aviation Alphabet

Mary Ann McCabe Riehle (author), David Craig (illustrator)

Publisher: Sleeping Bear Press ISBN: 9781627535816

Did you know that helicopters can fly forward, backward, and side-to-side? Or that the wingspan of a jumbo jet is almost twice as long as the distance of the Wright Brothers' first flight? Since recorded time, man has looked to the sky and dreamed of ways to fly there. A is for Airplane: An Aviation Alphabet celebrates the roots, inventions, and spirit of the science of flight. Young readers will learn about famous events such as the Spirit of St. Louis's nonstop flight across the Atlantic Ocean and the launch of Columbia STS-1 (the first space shuttle), as well as meet courageous aviators who broke barriers in the air and on Earth like the Tuskegee Airmen and Amelia Earhart. Aircraft of all kinds, including giant airships, wind-dependent gliders, and awe-inspiring F-16s, are depicted in spectacular artwork. The glory of flight is brought to stunning life.

The Night Henry Ford Met Santa

Carol Hagen (author), Matt Faulkner (illustrator)

Publisher: Sleeping Bear Press ISBN: 9781627536004

Could Henry Ford have taken his idea for an automobile assembly line from the elves at the North Pole? Maybe so. Set just before Christmas in 1908, this charming tale finds Henry Ford puzzling over a way to make his Model T affordable for the average family. His little son Edsel suggests that Daddy write to Santa for advice. Since Santa makes toys for millions of children, Edsel points out, he must know a better way. Henry writes the letter just to please his son, but Santa actually answers by taking Henry to visit his North Pole workshop. When he sees the elves working in a line, each completing just one specific task on every toy that's made, Henry Ford envisions an automobile assembly line. The story not only illustrates that children can teach adults how to dream, but it also provides an author's note with factual information about Henry Ford and the Model T.

Rudy Rides the Rails: A Depression Era Story

Dandi Daley Mackall (author), Chris Ellison (illustrator)

Publisher: Sleeping Bear Press ISBN: 9781627531559

In 1932, Akron, Ohio was no better off than other parts of the country. Since Black Tuesday in '29, companies are closed, men all over the state are out of work, and families are running out of hope. Thirteen-year-old Rudy wants to help but doesn't know where to turn. His father, sullen and withdrawn, spends his time sulking on their front porch. His mother is desperate, not knowing how she will feed and care for her family. When Rudy learns of other boys leaving town and heading west to seek their fortunes, he hops a train figuring at least there will be one less mouth to feed at home. As Rudy lives the hobo life while he "rides the rails" to California, young readers are given a snapshot view and testament of Depression-era America.

The Edmund Fitzgerald: The Song of the Bell

Kathy-jo Wargin (author), Gijsbert van Frankenhuyzen (illustrator)

Publisher: Sleeping Bear Press ISBN: 9781627531290

Leaving port from Superior, Wisconsin on a sunny November day, the crew of the Edmund Fitzgerald is looking forward to a routine crossing of deep Lake Superior. Heading for a port in Cleveland, the giant transport ship is loaded with ore that will be used to build cars. But disaster is building in the wind as a gale storm begins to track after the great ship. This suspenseful retelling of the last hours of the doomed vessel pays homage to all sailors who traverse deep waters, in fair skies and foul. Atmospheric paintings from award-winning artist Gijsbert van Frankenhuyzen bring the story to life.

Mackinac Bridge: The Story of the Five Mile Poem

Gloria Whelan (author), Gijsbert van Frankenhuyzen (illustrator)

Publisher: Sleeping Bear Press ISBN: 9781410308474

Set in the late 1950s, this is the moving story of a young boy whose father operates a ferryboat between Michigan's Upper and Lower peninsulas. As young Mark witnesses the building of the new Mackinac Bridge, he is torn between family loyalty and eager anticipation. He can't help being awestruck by the majesty of the five-mile-long bridge that will connect the two peninsulas and change the lives of so many. But the Mighty Mac will also put Mark's father out of business. As his father struggles with the flow of progress, Mark dreams of future bridges he will build. Details of the complex construction of the bridge will fascinate children as they learn an important part of America's history and come to understand the meaning of change. The Mackinac Bridge Authority provides history notes at the back of the book.