Thursday, May 3, 2012

Module 10 - The Hallelujah Flight


Book
The Hallelujah Flight
Written by Phil Bildner
Illustrated by John Holyfield

Citation
Bildner, P. (2010). The hallelujah flight. New York: The Penguin Group.


Summary
The Hallelujah Flight chronicles the flight of the first African American to complete a transcontinental flight. The pilot, James Banning, has very little money but much drive and perseverance to complete this monumental event. He relies on the good will of others at each stop to provide food, money, airplane parts, gas, prayers, and support. Banning, in exchange for these things, offers each good Samaritan a space on his plane's wings for which to autograph. The bumps and bruises of the flight are depicted within the pages, wrapping up with a homecoming of many supporters, an airplane covered with signatures of the good people of the United States, and a internal fire to accomplish anything.

Reviews
Library Media Connection (March/April 2010): This book tells the story of the first African-American aviator to fly cross country. James Banning and co-pilot Thomas Allen set out with a beat up old plane that could barely make it off the ground, and, once in the air, it could barely stay up. Banning had an interesting method of getting spare parts, food, and gasoline. Anyone who helped them with these items could sign their names on the wing of the aircraft. When they finally reached New Jersey 21 days later, they received a hero's welcome in Harlem. Unfortunately, their place in history has been lost. Author Phil Bildner has tried to fill that gap and bring them back into our history books. This book is informative and humorous. The illustrations complement the text well and capture the mood of the journey. Due to its subject matter, this book belongs in every library, and it may inspire more in-depth research into the subject matter. Highly Recommended.

Kirkus Reviews (December 1, 2009): Pioneering aviator James Banning dreamed of becoming the first African-American to fly across the country, though his biplane was old and worn. Co-pilot Thomas Allen relates how that dream came true in 1932 thanks to the help of people across the country, who contributed encouragement and practical support and wrote their names on the airplane's wings to be part of the adventure. Based on both fictional and nonfiction sources, the story is briskly told in Allen's voice, with plenty of imagined dialogue. Holyfield's gorgeous oil paintings are done on textured backgrounds in a palette of blues and browns. Occasional double-page spreads emphasize the breadth of Banning's vision, while the majority of scenes show events along the way: their tiny biplane above the Grand Canyon; angry white townspeople refusing to serve them food; a ferocious storm in Pennsylvania. Naysayers called them the "Flying Hoboes" but they called it "The Hallelujah Flight." Hallelujah, indeed, to Bildner for finding and telling this story. Pair with Amelia and Eleanor Go for a Ride, by Pam Muñoz Ryan and illustrated by Brian Selznick (1999), to illustrate the excitement of early flight. (Picture book. 5-8)

Suggested Use

Because the picture book is based on the story of an airplane flight that spans the entire United States, pairing this book with a letter-writing activity seems appropriate. Picking one school from each state in the Union, students practice their letter-writing and interviewing skills to illicit responses from other students around the country. As responses come in, allow students to mark on a large map where each response came from.

Impression
I have loved this book from the moment it arrived in my Scholastic Book fair in the fall of 2010. I love the historical element depicted in the story and am enthralled with the author's note at the beginning, sharing that the author had never heard of James Banning, a real pilot from the early 1920s before he walked into a craft store near his home in Brooklyn. I was able to meet the author at a library convention and have, just recently, hosted the author at a school visit. The story and the author are true legends.

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