My chosen science biography is titled “Talkin’ About Bessie.” Written by Nikki Grimes and illustrated by E.B Lewis. The book caught my eyes because it was a biography of someone who I knew nothing about. I found it hard to believe that this book was related to science, but the lady in the curriculum lab explained to me that it takes engineering to build a plane, and it takes science to fly a plane, and flying a place was exactly what Bessie Coleman did. The book talks about the childhood of Elizabeth “Bessie” Coleman and how she became the greatest dare devil lady pilot in the history of flying.
The author of the book Nikki Grimes doesn’t just want the reader to capture the idea and the fact that Bessie was one of the greatest pilots of all time but she wants you to realize that this young lady fought for her life everyday during the segregation. Not only did she survive the race wars and the violence but she set out to achieve her dream and to impress the world. The author wants to leave the reader with the fact that Bessie Coleman wasn’t just a damn good pilot, but yet she was the best lady, and African American pilot, the only lady and African American pilot in the air during these times.
I enjoyed the book although I believe for my elementary classroom it might possibly be too much literature. The pictures and illustrations in the book are great yet I wish there were more actual facts in the story about the life of Bessie Coleman. The author does a good job detailing the struggles this young lady had to go through to become exactly who she wanted to be. I believe my 5th grade class would be motivated by her story especially the young ladies.

Grimes, N. (2002). Talkin’ About Bessie: The story of aviator Elizabeth Coleman. New York: Orchard Books.



0439352436





Bessie Coleman is quite the amazing historical figure. The day she realized she wanted to become a pilot, she quit her job. She then learned French so she could go to flight school in France. After an accident that grounded her in a hospital, her first plan was to get back up in the air. Bessie is a wonderful role model of dedication.

This Coretta Scott King Award winning biographical sketch has a unique frame of including the voices of the first African American female aviator’s family and friends’ voices describing her and the events of her life. The premise is that 20 people in Bessie’s life have gathered for her funeral. What follows are multiple accounts of Bessie as she aged in poetic form—her desire for education, to go North, to find the right career, to fly.



The paintings of Talkin' About Bessie are realistic and wonderful. E.B. Lewis included portraits of each person who is “speaking” about Coleman, which is a nice addition.



The book would probably need some added support from a teacher if it’s used with a child under third grade to remind the child among the speakers’ connections to Coleman and to explain the historical context.





Activities to do with the book:



This would be a wonderful recommendation for a student who is interested in black or female trailblazers or interested in aviation. After doing a lesson on the Wright brothers or Amelia Earhart a teacher could easily transition to sharing Coleman’s story.



If a teacher were using the book Let It Shine, this would be a wonderful book to share as a shorter alternative with many same themes (achievement, education, service, literacy, etc).



On the creative side, students could take on the perspective of others and write poems of what they think those people would think of them. Another option would be to write positive stories about other students’ achievements. Students could also dramatize each eulogizer’s speech to turn the book into a speech project.





Favorite Quotes:



“The form of the following story is fictional,

But the story itself is based on fact.”



“When it came to knowledge, Bessie was a miser,

hoarding facts and figures like gold coins she was

saving up to spend on something special.”



“I haven’t made up my mind about being a pilot,

but Bessie made me believe I could be anything.”

For more of my reviews, visit sjkessel.blogspot.com.

very interesting biography ( )

This is about the first licensed Black American pilot, Elizabeth Colemen. The story is in the form of fiction but it is based on facts. The format of this book is really wonderful because it's done somewhat differently. Each page is written from a different persons point of view.

This book is an incredible tool to use with high school students to illustrate the ways in which a person can achieve his or her dreams, no matter how impossible they may seem. The different viewpoints add a narrative feel to the book, but also give a unique perspective from several different viewpoints about the trials and success of Bessie Coleman.The illustrations of each individual storyteller bring the different viewpoints and collective story to life.