Good airplane book for kids

Most Americans are familiar with the flight stories of the Wright Brothers and Charles Lindbergh. And if you are buying books for kids who like planes, they probably have a Wright Brothers and/or Charles Lindbergh book already. Fewer Americans know about Louis Bleriot, the first person to fly over the English Channel. The Glorious Flight is an excellent children's book about Bleriot's flight. The plane that made it across the channel was called Bleriot XI, because Bleriot I thourgh Bleriot X kept crashing and getting destroyed. So in addition to go a good flight story, you get a lesson in perseverance.

On a recent trip to the Evergreen Aviation Museum (a must see if in the Williamette Valley,) we saw a replica of the Bleriot XI, which someone flew onto the museum's airfield. That is one brave pilot, have a look at the photos. The wheels are bicycle tires.

For kids who need an intro to planes I highly recommend Jerry Pallotta's Jet Alphabet and Airplane Alphabet books.