ReadItDaddy's Second Picture Book of the Week - Week Ending 21st April 2017 - "Taking Flight: How the Wright Brothers Conquered the Skies" (Dare to Dream 1) by Adam Hancher (Frances Lincoln Children's Books)

Our second picture book of the week is a real wow! Soar skywards with the fabulous Wright Brothers, Orville and Wilbur!
"Taking Flight" by Adam Hancher is one of those books that really appeals to us on so many levels.

The true test of a children's book designed to relate a true set of events is how much kids then want to go off and explore the real world stories that the picture books depict.

The story of Orville and Wilbur Wright, two very clever brothers with soaring imaginations and inventive minds, is well known of course. Pioneers of flight, both were determined to turn their successful engineering skills to good use, building their own flying machine.

The road to glory was very bumpy, with setbacks and accidents along the way - but of course the rest is history, and the successful flight of Orville and Wilbur's powered aeroplane from Kitty Hawk is now the stuff of legends.

It all started out with a simple toy gift from Orville and Wilbur's dad.

This book is utterly fabulous, taking us from their very early lives - and a gift from their father that inspired the two brothers - through to later life as both brothers pursued their dream to see flight become as commonplace as riding a bike.

Success as Orville takes to the air for the first time

The book doesn't hold back from some of the more tragic issues the brothers met early on, including the death of a co-pilot in an early flight. Dedicated to the pioneers who built amazing craft to sail through the skies, it's both a beautiful and readable depiction of the very first faltering steps made to allow us all to fly like birds.

Charlotte's best bit: Learning all the true facts at the end of the book (and giggling at what Wilbur and Orville looked like as boys in the photographs at the end).

Daddy's favourite bit: A hugely inspirational and brilliant depiction of the first pioneers of the air, utterly wonderfully illustrated and such a great jumping off point for kids to go and discover more about the Wright Brothers and their amazing real-life adventures.

(Kindly supplied for review).

"Taking Flight: How the Wright Brothers Conquered the Skies" by Adam Hancher is out now, published by Frances Lincoln Children's Books.