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My Brothers' Flying Machine: Wilbur, Orville, and Me
In celebration of the 100th anniversary of the Wright Brothers' flight, this story is told from the point of view of their sister, Katherine, who watched her brothers play with a toy flying machine, which was the beginning of their remarkable collaboration. Full color.
32 pages, Hardcover
First published April 1, 2003
About the author
Jane Yolen
925 books3,081 followersJane Yolen is a novelist, poet, fantasist, journalist, songwriter, storyteller, folklorist, and children’s book author who has written more than three hundred books. Her accolades include the Caldecott Medal, two Nebula Awards, the World Fantasy Award, three Mythopoeic Awards, the Kerlan Award, two Christopher Awards, and six honorary doctorate degrees from colleges and universities in Massachusetts and New Hampshire. Born and raised in New York City, the mother of three and the grandmother of six, Yolen lives in Massachusetts and St. Andrews, Scotland.
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Displaying 1 - 18 of 18 reviews
June 28, 2015
I really was touched by this picture book. It pays tribute to a category of person who is neglected in literature - the supportive sister. The opening quote from Katharine Wright's brother, insisting that her name should be celebrated whenever her brothers' were, choked me up from the start! I will be looking more into her life and family, most definitely.
July 6, 2011
My Brothers' Flying Machine: Wilbur, Orville, and Me tells the tale of the Wright brothers journey into the sky from the perspective of their sister, Katherine. The Wright family was large, but these three, Katherine, Wilbur and Orville were close. Readers learn about the famous Wright brothers progression from boys playing with a "bat" to boys building bigger and better versions of the toy and onward into the sky themselves. Katherine did not assist in building any of the boys' various aircrafts. She did however support and encourage her brothers wholeheartedly. Her willingness to pick up their slack at work while taking on the rather motherly role of keeping after them about their appearance and being a sounding board and link to home while they were away was crucial to their success. This illustrated tale about a sister proud of her brothers is a welcome change from rigid historical accounts of the Wright brothers’ success. The classic style illustrations transport the reader back in time. It's as if we are waiting for letters from the boys alongside Katherine.
April 30, 2018
1. Awards (Parents' Choice Gold Award, Massachusetts Book Award Nominee for Children's/Young Adult Literature 2004)
2. Grade Level- 3-5
3. Summary- This book explains how Orville and Wilbur Wright's sister Katharine was an important part of their success with flight. It is written from the perspective of their sister, who tells how their father brought home a toy flying machine which in turn inspires the family in their flying pursuits.
4. Review- Both of the Wright brothers acknowledged that their sister aided in their ultimate success, and is interesting because it is written from the perspective of Katharine. This book is very inspirational for women becoming involved in scientific pursuits.
5. In class uses- history, planes, science, geography of the southern US
2. Grade Level- 3-5
3. Summary- This book explains how Orville and Wilbur Wright's sister Katharine was an important part of their success with flight. It is written from the perspective of their sister, who tells how their father brought home a toy flying machine which in turn inspires the family in their flying pursuits.
4. Review- Both of the Wright brothers acknowledged that their sister aided in their ultimate success, and is interesting because it is written from the perspective of Katharine. This book is very inspirational for women becoming involved in scientific pursuits.
5. In class uses- history, planes, science, geography of the southern US
December 7, 2020
Having read The Wright Brothers by David McCullough last year and living in Dayton, Ohio, I was attracted to this children’s book written in celebration of the 100th anniversary of the Wright Brothers' flight. This quick read is penned from the perspective of the sister (Katherine) of the famous brothers. The illustrations by Jim Burke were so well done and the book captured some of the personalities of the family.
April 27, 2015
Personal Reaction - I really enjoyed reading this book and I would like to read this book to children. This book introduces a woman whose brothers are famous as inventors of an aircraft. Thought people are familiar with the brothers, the woman is not a well-known person. However, I can tell that due to her support, the brothers could be successful. After her mother had passed away, she began to take her mother's works. Those were mostly about taking care of her brothers. She was always there and this supported the brothers emotionally. I have a woman like the woman. She is my mother. She is always with me and listens to me. Without my mom's support, I can't be brave. As I know that my mom will be always there, I can challenge new fields including studying in the United States.
Purposes-I would recommend this book to third graders of elementary school for several potential purposes:
- As this book focuses on the important support of a woman to her brothers, it would give students to have new perspectives of seeing a person's success. Without her support, the brothers could not achieve the success.
- Also, because third graders begin to learn what other people have achieved and they are influenced by listening to those stories, students would learn how brave the brothers were and how their works have changed this world. It would encourage them to challenge new things.
- By reading this book, children would learn how a biography book looks like. As this book includes the woman's family backgrounds chronically, it shows the relationship between her life and her family backgrounds. Children would realize that when reading a person's biography, they should consider the character's family background.
- This story has many repetitions. For example, "I began to believe it could be done. I began to believe it could be done." and " Only sand and hearty breezes. Only sun and a moon so bright." It would emphasize the mood of the setting and feelings that the characters were feeling.
- As this is a nonfiction book, the setting and the plot of this story are based on realistic factors. For example, there is no magic in this story and the illustrations show how people looks like during that period.
- The setting of this book would teach social expectations of women in the past. For instance, the woman had to take her mother's works after she passed away. Though her brothers and she could have divided the works together, she was in charge of every work.
Purposes-I would recommend this book to third graders of elementary school for several potential purposes:
- As this book focuses on the important support of a woman to her brothers, it would give students to have new perspectives of seeing a person's success. Without her support, the brothers could not achieve the success.
- Also, because third graders begin to learn what other people have achieved and they are influenced by listening to those stories, students would learn how brave the brothers were and how their works have changed this world. It would encourage them to challenge new things.
- By reading this book, children would learn how a biography book looks like. As this book includes the woman's family backgrounds chronically, it shows the relationship between her life and her family backgrounds. Children would realize that when reading a person's biography, they should consider the character's family background.
- This story has many repetitions. For example, "I began to believe it could be done. I began to believe it could be done." and " Only sand and hearty breezes. Only sun and a moon so bright." It would emphasize the mood of the setting and feelings that the characters were feeling.
- As this is a nonfiction book, the setting and the plot of this story are based on realistic factors. For example, there is no magic in this story and the illustrations show how people looks like during that period.
- The setting of this book would teach social expectations of women in the past. For instance, the woman had to take her mother's works after she passed away. Though her brothers and she could have divided the works together, she was in charge of every work.
May 28, 2011
Katherine Wright tells the story of how her brothers invented the first flying machines. Katherine gives some insight to the Wright family, the Wright Brothers as inventors and businessmen, and adds a new perspective to a familiar story. For children learning about flight and the Wright Brothers, this is a good read aloud or additional reading selection. It's nice to see the perspective of women in history, though in this case, Katherine is more storyteller than participant.
I do, however, have a few complaints with the story. Katherine, as the narrator, tells little about herself. We learn that she attended college and became a teacher but we don't learn much about her dreams or feelings. Yolen used very few dates in the story. While we see Katherine getting older and can get a sense of time passing, a few more dates would have made it easier to get a feel for the invention process. Some additional resources or a timeline would also have been a nice touch; I look for these features when I choose nonfiction texts for a school library collection.
I do, however, have a few complaints with the story. Katherine, as the narrator, tells little about herself. We learn that she attended college and became a teacher but we don't learn much about her dreams or feelings. Yolen used very few dates in the story. While we see Katherine getting older and can get a sense of time passing, a few more dates would have made it easier to get a feel for the invention process. Some additional resources or a timeline would also have been a nice touch; I look for these features when I choose nonfiction texts for a school library collection.
November 3, 2011
My Brothers' Flying Machine is a biography about the Wright brothers and their sister Katharine. The book was written for children of intermediate age. This book talks about the Wright boys many accomplishments, their life and their sister's impact on their success. They invented things such as the airplane and the printing press. Their curiosity of flying machines started when their dad brought home a flying toy. They put their imaginations together along with Katharine's support and ideas and came up with their many inventions. I scored this book with only 3 stars because while it was informative, I thought it was rather boring. I feel that if it was boring for me and I hardly even finished it then a child would definitely give up on it. I feel as though the book would not be appealing to children. While the illustrations are created well, the content I feel is drawn out and boring. I could however use this book in the classroom for a report on the Wright brothers due to it's accurate information.
May 11, 2015
I especially liked how this book was narrated by the sister because you get a whole other view from another's perspective. If the Wright Brothers wrote the book you probably wouldn't get the facts from when they were children or they'd just go on and on about the calculations and the wingspan and unnecessary information. Most kids have sibling rivalry and they would most likely fight about who gets the most pages and dumb stuff like that. It also makes reading about flight history fun and interesting and totally has a different impact on kids than from just reading straight out of a textbook.
May 13, 2011
Another book for my kindergarten-age son's lapbook on flight. While there are MANY books about the Wright brothers out there, I loved the storyline of this one being told from the point of view of their sister - who was apparently quite involved in their lives and their work. Well told without becoming bogged down in facts, yet giving enough details to give it depth, this book has been one of our favorites.
September 22, 2013
This is a great read aloud for 1st grade because it talks about the wright brothers and their invention. The story gets a personal touch however because it is told from the perspective of their sister. This book is great because you can have the childre create their own flyinig machines. Also, it teachers the children to give credit where credit is due and to appreciate the value of their family.
November 20, 2010
This book is told from the perspective of Katharine Wright--the Wright Brothers' older sister. It begins with how they were inspired to make an airplane through their journey of moving from Ohio to North Carolina.
September 15, 2011
This book makes a magnificent addition to a classroom library. Students can use this book when studying the lives of Orville and Wilbur. This story is told from the point of view of their beloved sister, Katherine.
November 24, 2010
This book from Little, Brown tells the story of the Wright brothers' success from the point of view of Katharine, their younger sister. Good book for different points of view.
May 27, 2012
Another wonderful biography by Jane Yolen that will satisfy you and your children!
(And at last, little sister gets some credit.)
(And at last, little sister gets some credit.)
February 28, 2013
Unique and original telling of a time of history. I really enjoyed the author's way of explaining the Wright Brother's creation from a new perspective.
December 26, 2014
Great book.
June 11, 2016
Great way to introduce the challenges of early flight to elementary school children. It also demonstrates the value of family members supporting each other, even when it requires personal sacrifice.
November 30, 2016
Such a beautiful book about the sister that was there for the Wright brothers every step of the way.
Displaying 1 - 18 of 18 reviews