Henry M. Holden

If you think the skies belong to birds and men, you might want to consider a different notion. Ladybirds and Ladybirds II is a history of American women in every aspect of aviation from a woman balloonist of 200 years ago, to the early days of Anne Morrow Lindbergh and Amelia Earhart, to today's commercial women airline pilots (co-author Lori Griffith is a Boeing 737 captain with USAir). Those Wonderful Women and Their Flying Machines hones in on World War II to recount the story of the over 1,000 women pilots who flew in the military as part of the Women's Air Force Service Pilots (WASP). Over 25,000 women applied and 1,800 were selected to train at Avenger Field in Sweetwater, Texas. From 1942 to '44, these pilots flew over 60 million miles in every type of plane the airforce had, and 38 women lost their lives in service. Here, in biography style, the niece of one of these pilots recreates the amazing story of what she calls "one of the best-kept secrets of World War II." Together, these books record an unexplored part of American and aviation history along with the passion of women who loved to fly. -- From The WomanSource Catalog & Review: Tools for Connecting the Community for Women… (more)

Theme: Astronauts' life and work in the outer space

Summary: This informative book discusses how astronauts live and work in the outer space with zero gravity. Suitable living conditions that International Space Station (ISS) provides contrast the hostile environment of space; the astronauts are also able to eat, drink, sleep, and take out the trash in the space. The book introduces its target audience, grades 5-9, to dangers of space (space junk); design, construction, and history of international space station; and jobs of astronauts.

Review: I liked how the book ended with a glossary and a list of further readings with suggested internet websites that students can explore by themselves or with a teacher or parents. This book makes a great resource for research project for students. Also, the pictures with captions will excite students even more about "the coolest job in the universe." The book is neither painfully long nor wordy, so students can delve into the content without pressure or commitment.

Curriculum ties: Science (outer space, planets, gravity and neutral buoyancy), social studies (different jobs)… (more)