Flight
How to explore this theme:
- Choose books and book-related activities
- Explore more hands-on activities
- Try some summer writing
- Dig deeper with these websites
- Play and learn with interactive mobile apps
Reading Adventure Packs
Hands-on fun and learning centered around paired fiction and nonfiction books. In each themed reading adventure pack you’ll find great book suggestions plus three related activities to do together with your child. Just download and print the PDF.
Great Fiction & Nonfi ction Books
Age Level: 3-6 years old
Abuela
By: Arthur Dorros
Age Level: 3-6 years old | Reading Level: Beginning Reader
Astronauts Today
By: Rosanna Hansen
Age Level: 3-6 years old | Reading Level: Beginning Reader
Astronauts Today is a journey into space exploration. With fun facts like what astronauts eat and how they sleep, kids will learn about today's space adventures and how people from all over the world work to continue space exploration.
Kite Flying
By: Grace Lin
Age Level: 3-6 years old | Reading Level: Beginning Reader
The young narrator describes how she and her family each contribute to a handsome kite which they then enjoy flying. Signature illustrations show traditional Chinese kite designs combined with an author's note about kite history. The result is the celebration of an ebullient family tradition that readers may want to take up themselves!
Rocket to the Moon
By: Lerryn Korda
Age Level: 3-6 years old | Reading Level: Beginning Reader
Lester explains the basics about the moon and space travel to Little Nye before they take off on their lively imaginary journey. Sturdy pages support uncluttered illustrations and simple text in this appealing, surprisingly informative book.
The Glorious Flight: Across the Channel with Louis Bleriot July 25, 1909
By: Alice Provensen, Martin Provensen
Age Level: 3-6 years old | Reading Level: Beginning Reader
By 1909, Louis Bleriot's persistence had paid off: this Frenchman became the first aviator to fly across the English Channel in an "air machine." This Caldecott Medal winner is a quiet account of one man's perseverance and passion.
Age Level: 6-9 years old
Air Show
By: Treat Williams | Illustrated by: Robert Neubecker
Age Level: 6-9 years old | Reading Level: Independent Reader
Ellie and her brother accompany their pilot father in his airplane to an air show where they see a host of airplanes; Ellie even gets to ride in a stunt plane. Cartoon illustrations in an oversize format detail every aspect of planes from the instrument panel to the vehicles themselves.
Amelia and Eleanor Go for a Ride
By: Pam Muñoz Ryan | Illustrated by: Brian Selznick
Age Level: 6-9 years old | Reading Level: Independent Reader
Two well known women sneak away from the White House for an aerial adventure in this handsomely illustrated story based on real people. Though fictionalized, readers will appreciate the common interests and similar personality traits of First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt and aviatrix Amelia Earhart.
Flight: The Journey of Charles Lindbergh
By: Robert Burleigh | Illustrated by: Mike Wimmer
Age Level: 6-9 years old | Reading Level: Independent Reader
Charles Lindbergh was only 25 years old when he made his historic non-stop flight across the Atlantic Ocean. Through Burleigh's vivid retelling and Wimmer's bold paintings, the reader soars with Lindbergh as he follows his dream.
Floating in Space
By: Franklyn Branley, True Kelley
Age Level: 6-9 years old | Reading Level: Independent Reader
Have you ever dreamed of being an astronaut? Wondered what it might be like to see the sun set sixteen times in one day? Open this book and be transported on an information-packed voyage aboard the space shuttle.
Fly High! The Story of Bessie Coleman
By: Louise Borden, Mary Kay Kroeger | Illustrated by: Teresa Flavin
Age Level: 6-9 years old | Reading Level: Independent Reader
Bessie Coleman grew up picking cotton in Texas, but she aimed high -- soaring into history as the first African American woman aviator. Her riveting story is told in inviting, rhythmic language and engaging illustration.
Give Me Wings
By: Lee Bennett Hopkins | Illustrated by: Ponder Goembel
Age Level: 6-9 years old | Reading Level: Independent Reader
Take flight with a bit of imagination and a varied collection of poems. Handsome illustrations enhance the short poems presented to encourage flying with or without wings.
Kids' Paper Airplane Book
By: Ken Blackburn, Jeff Lammers
Age Level: 6-9 years old | Reading Level: Independent Reader
Sophisticated children (or children with an adult) will appreciate the variety of aircraft designs ranging from easy to difficult, silly to complex, and the science behind them. All is presented in easy-to-follow instructions and crisp diagrams.
Look to the Stars
By: Buzz Aldrin | Illustrated by: Wendell Minor
Age Level: 6-9 years old | Reading Level: Independent Reader
Apollo 11 astronaut Buzz Aldrin takes the reader on a journey through centuries of air and space aviation, from Isaac Newton to exploring Mars to futuristic space tours. Fascinating details and a timeline are imbedded throughout.
Out of this World: Poems and Facts about Space
By: Amy Sklansky | Illustrated by: Stacey Schuett
Age Level: 6-9 years old | Reading Level: Independent Reader
Owly: Flying Lessons
By: Andy Runton
Age Level: 6-9 years old | Reading Level: Independent Reader
Sky High: The True Story of Maggie Gee
By: Marissa Moss | Illustrated by: Carl Angel
Age Level: 6-9 years old | Reading Level: Independent Reader
The true story of one of only two Chinese-American women to fly for the U.S. Air Force during World War II, is told as though by Maggie Gee herself. Her dream of flying became reality because of a dream and determination. An author's note provides a short glimpse into where and what the actual Maggie Gee does today as well as period photographs.
Soar, Elinor!
By: Tami Lewis Brown | Illustrated by: Francois Roca
Age Level: 6-9 years old | Reading Level: Independent Reader
Elinor Smith was a girl whose dream of flying was realized in the 1920s, a time when girls and women weren't encouraged to do so. Based on a real person, Elinor's story is well told and dramatically illustrated. Equally interesting is the author's endnote in which she reveals how she researched this fascinating woman.
Tar Beach
By: Faith Ringgold
Age Level: 6-9 years old | Reading Level: Independent Reader
Cassie doesn't have to actually go to the beach; she's got her very own "tar beach" on the roof of her Harlem apartment building. From there, her imagination takes her on a journey through time and space. The artist's quilt story was successfully adapted into this modern classic.
The Klutz Book of Paper Airplanes
By: Doug Stillinger
Age Level: 6-9 years old | Reading Level: Pre-Reader
From very easy to more challenging, paper airplane folding is a craft that soars! Clear instructions along with crisp photographs make these airplanes sure-fire hits to fold, fly, and decorate.
Wind Flyers
By: Angela Johnson | Illustrated by: Loren Long
Age Level: 6-9 years old | Reading Level: Independent Reader
A young African American boy tells the story of his great-great-uncle, who realized his dream of flying by becoming a Tuskegee Airman during World War II. Richly hued paintings evoke the period, and spare language allows the story to speak for itself.
Wings
By: Sneed Collard | Illustrated by: Robin Brickman
Age Level: 6-9 years old | Reading Level: Independent Reader
Many creatures have wings: birds, bats, insects. How these amazing appendages work and how they are used are presented with brief text and stunning collage illustrations for a memorable look at flight.
Hands-on Activities and Crafts
Summer Writing
Great Websites for Kids
Mobile Apps
