Summary: Night Flight: Amelia Earhart Crosses the Atlantic is a non-fiction picture
book about Amelia Earhart and her journey across the Atlantic Ocean.
Night Flight: Amelia Earhart Crosses the Atlantic Author: Robert Burleigh Illustrator: Wendell Minor
Summary: Night Flight: Amelia Earhart Crosses the Atlantic is a non-fiction picture book about Amelia Earhart and her journey across the Atlantic Ocean. The book begins on May, 20 1932 in Newfoundland where Amelia is getting ready to take off in her airplane called the red Vega. Amelia is leaving all her family and friends behind to try to make history as the first woman to cross the Atlantic alone. Her journey across the Atlantic is not easy as she is faced with storms and fear. She is a strong woman and is able to get past her fears and worries. Finally, the book ends on May 21, 1932 when Amelia lands in North Ireland alive and happy. Through the use of descriptive words and illustrations Burleigh and Minor do a great job telling the story of a wonderful woman, Amelia Earhart, and her journey.
Awards received: o 2012 ALA Notable Book
Reviews: From Booklist: “A worthy new addition to the recent spate of books about the famous aviatrix, Burleigh’s story concentrates on Earhart’s 1932 solo flight from Newfoundland to Ireland, placing compelling poetic emphasis on her single-hearted struggle. “Why? Because ‘women must try to do things as men have tried,’” writes Burleigh, quoting Earhart. Terse two-sentence stanzas tell a story focused upon the flight’s trials: a sudden storm (“the sky unlocks”), ice buildup on the plane’s wings, a precipitous plunge toward the Atlantic’s frothing surface, and a cracked exhaust pipe (“The friendly night becomes a graph of fear”). The loneliness of the effort is finally relieved over a farmer’s field, where Amelia lands and says, “Hi, I’ve come from America.” Minor’s illustrations maintain tension by alternating between cockpit closeups and wide views of the plane crossing the foreboding ocean. Predominant reds and blues convey the pure excitement of the nail-biting journey. An afterword, along with Internet resources, a bibliography, and a column of Earhart quotes, increases the book’s value for curious children who might want more. Finally, Minor’s endpapers, with a well-
drawn map and mechanical illustration of the plane Earhart called the “little red bus,” also work to inspire further learning.”— Karen Cruze
Author Information, Robert Burleigh: http://robertburleigh.com/
Illustrator Information, Wendell Minor: http://www.minorart.com/
Discussion Questions: Before o Have you ever been on an Airplane? o What has been the farthest trip you have been on an airplane? o What do think it would be like to fly across the ocean? During o If you were Amelia Earhart what would you miss when you left home? o How do you think Amelia is feeling when she is traveling by herself o Do you think that Amelia will make it safely? After o What was the name of the plane that Amelia Earhart flew? o What was important about her flight across the Atlantic? o What country did Amelia leave from and what country did she land in?
Curricular Activities o Reading/Oral Language-This book would be good reading practice for first – third graders. One activity would be having the students read this book to the class, letting each student have a turn to read o Writing- Burleigh uses lots of descriptive words to describe Amelia’s flight. Have the students write some of the descriptive words down. Also, have the students practice writing descriptive sentences describing something they like to do using action verbs and colorful adjectives. o Math/Technology-Use the airplane theme from the book and create math problems involving distance traveled. These problems can vary in level of difficulty depending on the grade level. Create a simple WebQuest for the students to follow to learn more about Amelia Earhart.
o Science-After reading the book, have the students make a paper airplane. Then introduce them to the scientific method. Have them hypothesize how far the airplane will travel. Next, have the students fly their airplane and measure the distance. Talk about their conclusions. o Social Studies-Discuss with the students the history of Amelia Earhart. Then have the students create fact cards about Amelia Earhart and her impact on history. Discuss the fact that she was an influence on women in history. Look at a timeline of Amelia Earhart’s life, http://www.ninety-nines.org/index.cfm/amelia earhart.htm – Then create a timeline of another famous woman in American history. o Art-Students can make a paper airplane and decorate it red like Amelia’s plane. Older students could make a model airplane or try origami. o Drama-Have the students split into groups and reenact a part of Amelia’s story. Present this to the whole class. o Music-Play musical scores from the time period during activities. o Cooking/food-Search out local recipes or foods that Amelia might have encountered upon her arrival in Europe.
Related Books: o Who Was Amelia Earhart? by Kate Boehm Jerome and illustrated by David Cain o A Picture Book of Amelia Earhart by David A Adler and illustrated by Jeff Fisher o Amelia Earhart: The Legend of the Lost Aviator by Shelley Tanaka and illustrated by David Craig
Other titles by Robert Burleigh: o Into the air: The Story of the Wright Brothers' First Flight o Flight: The Journey of Charles Lindbergh o Abraham Lincoln Comes Home o Fly, Cher Ami, Fly! o Napoleon: The Story of the Little Corporal
Other titles illustrated by Wendall Minor: o The Last Train by Gordon M. Titcomb o Abraham Lincoln Comes Home by Robert Burleigh o Ghost Ship by Mary Higgins Clark o Rachel: The Story of Rachel Carson by Amy Ehrlich
Websites for further study or enrichment o http://www.kidskonnect.com/subject-index/21-people/215-earhart-amelia.html This website is designed for kids and offers a brief biography and fun facrs on Amelia Earhart. Students and teachers can access this website to learn more about Amelia before or after reading the book. o http://ask-a-bear.com/adventure/fun.html This website is also geared towards kids with information about Amelia Earhart. The website is easy to navigate with “Fun Facts, Life Facts, and Know This” tabs.
