Nonfiction Book Review #1

1. BIBLIOGRAPHY
Simon, Seymour. 2002. AMAZING AIRCRAFT. New York: Seastar Books. ISBN 1587171791

2. PLOT SUMMARY
AMAZING AIRCRAFT is designed for young readers as an introduction to human flight. It covers aircrafts from the first flight in a hot-air balloon to the future of huge passenger planes. Seymour Simon also goes into how the invention and advancement of aircrafts have affected our world.

3. CRITICAL ANALYSIS
Seymour Simon is definitely qualified to be writing this book. A former teacher, Simon is also an award-winning science author of more than 200 science books for children. The National Science Teachers Association has named more than half of his books “Outstanding Science Trade Books for Children.”

The information presented seems both accurate and current. However, this book does not contain any reference aids such as a table of contents, index, or bibliography. This is because this book is designed for children in first to third grade. It is part of the SeeMore Readers series that is designed especially for young readers. SeeMore Readers are known for their “large, bright pictures” and “exciting yet simple text.” The text is simple and straight forward, as well as written in nice, big letters. Simon does a good job of providing facts, as well as interesting trivial information. For example, the reader learns that the Lockheed F-117 is a “stealth” fighter plane. Simon then goes on to define what stealth means: “the F-117 is hard to see on radar.”

The organization of the book is very clear and simple. Simon lists information in chronological order from Leonardo da Vinci’s plans for “flapping wing machines” and the first flight of man in a hot-air balloon all the way through the timeline of aircrafts developments, including early planes that had “thin wings covered with cloth,” seaplanes, the first “inexpensive passenger plane,” the Douglas DC-3, to the future 800-passenger cargo plane.

Simon’s style of writing includes the use comparisons to vividly describe each aircraft. We learn that the Hindenburg was “more than three times as long as today’s 747 airplanes” and that the Boeing 747 is “longer than the distance of the Wright Brothers’ first flight.” We also get a nice comparison of the length of a new cargo plane's wings, which are over 250 feet long, “almost the length of a football field.” The reader also gets a good sense of how aircrafts have evolved over time with Simon’s comparisons of the amount of time it takes to fly a certain distance. For example, we learn that with the Wright Brothers’ plane “the longest flight lasted less than a minute and went 852 feet at a speed of 30 miles per hour.” Louis Bleriot took 36 minutes to fly across the English Channel in 1909. “Today you can fly the same distance in less than 3 minutes.” Finally, in 1927 Charles Lindbergh’s flight from New York to Paris took 34 hours. “Today, airliners fly from New York to Paris in less than 7 hours.”

AMAZING AIRCRAFT is designed like a book of photographs. Each double page contains a full picture of an aircraft. The pictures are the prominent feature of the book and the clear, clean shots draw the eye. They serve as a background for the aircraft that is described in simple blocks of text.

4. REVIEW EXCERPT(S)
School Library Journal
“Grade 1-3-Simon gets to the essence of his subjects through bold, dramatic color photographs and short, crisp texts. The first book draws comparisons between how long it took early aircraft to accomplish their missions and how long it takes modern planes; the inclusion of data about an aircraft of the future adds a touch of excitement. The description of the Hindenburg tragedy, however, seems stuck in between the discussions of various types of vehicles and their capabilities. Still, this is a good introductory title.”

Booklist
“In Aircraft, Simon presents a brief, historical survey of flight, including hot air balloons, the Wright brothers, Bleriot, Lindbergh, the Hindenburg, seaplanes, the Spitfire, the DC-3, the 747, helicopters, gliders, the Concorde, the F-17 Stealth fighter, and an enormous cargo plane. Although the words are not all simple, they appear in large, legible type. A typical double-page spread includes a colorful photo accompanied by a few lines of text. With clear photos and succinct writing, these volumes will fill a demand for informative books that are short and easy enough for primary-grade children to read independently. They are also appropriate for reading aloud to younger children.”

Kirkus Reviews
“Seymour Simon may have done more than any other living author to help us to understand and appreciate our planet and our universe.”

5. CONNECTIONS
*Additional Books
Seymour Simon has many other SeeMore Readers Level 2 books designed for grades 1-3. The following science trade books would be good to use in introducing new topics to students in the classroom:
BRIDGES. ISBN: 158717264X
SKYSCRAPERS. ISBN: 1587172593
COOL CARS. ISBN: 1587172372
DANGER! VOLCANOES. ISBN: 1587171821
DANGER! EARTHQUAKES. ISBN: 0606243453
SUPER STORMS. ISBN: 0606243445

*Activities with this book:
-Have each child pick an aircraft to read about and present to the class. For example, two children could take one double-page spread to discuss.
-Have children pick an aircraft to make a poster about. They can also create a collage of different planes from pictures cut out of magazines and newspapers.

Happy Reading!
Lonnie