First-time children's author Busby's (Exterminating Angels) detail-rich biography of Wilbur and Orville Wright will hook aviation buffs from the first soaring sentence ("Let her go, Orv!"). With clear analysis ("The Wright Brothers had one great advantage over other pioneers of aviation: they built bikes") and a fluid writing style, Busby recounts the brothers' early research and, vividly, their experiences in Kitty Hawk, N.C., where on December 17, 1903, Wilbur was aloft for 59 seconds. The book also explores the Wrights after Kitty Hawk, as they battled for public recognition, eventually becoming the "First Heroes of the New Century," and continued to design airplanes. Tangential topics—a profile of 19th-century aviation innovator Otto Lilienthal; technical explanations of wing warping, the 1903 Flyer,
etc.— are placed in cogent sidebars that provide bonus information without slowing the story. A large square trim (approximately 11.5" x 11.5") shows to advantage the marvelous array of illustrations, ranging from Craig's (Attack on Pearl Harbor) active, in-the-moment paintings imagining the Wrights' lives, to diagrams, postcards and historic photographs, including sepia-toned shots of the first flight. A superlative mix of visuals and text. Ages 8-up. (Mar.)
