Gorgeous illustrations accompany this biography of the first Chinese American woman to fly for the US military.

Hazel Ying Lee was the first Chinese American woman to fly for the U.S. military. She was born “fearless” in Portland, Oregon in 1912. The author of this book for kids aged 4 and over writes that Hazel was not afraid of anything, and dreamed of flying some day. Her mother objected that being a pilot “was not ladylike” but Hazel was not deterred. The author writes:

“She wanted to do something that no other Chinese American girl had done.”

To pay for flying lessons, she worked as a department store elevator operator, because it was one of the few jobs Chinese girls were allowed to have. Hazel called them “invisible jobs - jobs where you were ignored.”

Hazel was not going to be ignored. She earned her flying license, and when World War II began, she finally got the opportunity to use her skills. She signed up right away to join the Women Airforce Service Pilots, known as WASPs. She became one of the few WASPs qualified to fly pursuit planes, or high-powered single-engine fighter jets.

She loved being in the sky, the author writes, because “No one could see her eyes, hair, or skin color when Hazel was thousands of feet above.”

Sadly, Hazel died in a plane crass in 1944 after a radio tower miscommunication. Because WASPs were considered civilians then, Hazel was not given military recognition. She also was denied burial in a “whites-only” cemetery. Her family petitioned President Franklin Roosevelt in protest. After a lengthy battle, the Lee family prevailed.

In an Author’s Note we learn that for over three decades after the war, members of the WASP and their supporters attempted to secure military status for the women pilots. In March 1977, President Jimmy Carter finally gave the WASPs veteran status, and in 2009 President Barack Obama awarded all WASPs the Congressional Gold Medal in recognition of their service.

In 2004, Hazel Ying Lee was inducted into Oregon's Aviation Hall of Honor, a fraternity of native Oregonians who made historic contributions to aviation.

Following the Author’s Note, there is a list of sources to learn more about Hazel Ying Lee and her fellow WASPs.

Illustrator Julie Kwon uses crisply-lined earth-toned art that shows both Lee’s determination on the ground and happiness in the sky.

Evaluation: The author skips details about Hazel that might have appealed to kids and brought Hazel more to life for them, such as Hazel's sense of humor and reputation in the WASPs for being mischievous. The information about the family’s struggle to bury Hazel and gain recognition for her contribution is also a bit sketchy. Importantly, Leung does include the problems Lee encountered during World War II in a country that has trouble distinguishing among Asians - she was often taken for Japanese. This aspect of the story could open up avenues for discussions about what prejudice is and how much harm it causes. ( )