Picking cotton in the hot weather in the fields of Waxahachie, Texas was not where young Bessie Coleman wanted to be. She had dreams that would someday lead her away from the toil. She walked four miles to and from a one room schoolhouse where she learned to love numbers. She loved to read as well, and twice a year a wagon containing books came to the small town. Her mother used money earned from ironing clothes to buy books for Bessie.

Bessie's father abandoned them, leaving them with very little but the love the family had for each other. Growing up was difficult because Bessie had dreams of leaving. Attending school at the Colored Agricultural and Normal University, helped to set Bessie's dreams even higher.

Bessie moved to Chicago where she could find various jobs. Knowing someday she could be somebody, In 1919, the war brought soldiers home to Chicago who talked about the trenches of France. Bessie heard tales of women in France who could fly planes. Now, she knew her goal was to become a pilot.

Bessie did indeed learn to fly. The planes she used were dangerously made of unsafe materials. Bessie learned to fly in air shows. Wherever she went, her message was that people could escape from poverty and they could make something of themselves. Bessie took lessons in France, Germany and Holland. She continued to hone her skills until she was a well-known aviatrix.

Her mantra to all was "You can be somebody! Just like me!"

Sadly, it was in Jacksonville, Florida where Bessie took a shabby, old plane for a test ride. When it crashed, Bessie fell from the sky, and no longer could tell people to be somebody. But, her example lived on, and her story of a poor cotton picking little girl who walked far to school, and who set a goal of becoming someone lives on today. ( )

Fly High! The story of Bessie Coleman is a great biography picture book that shows the life of a famous female in history. Bessie Coleman is the first African American female who flew in the air and the story shows her dedication and hard work to get where she went. I think this is a book that shows a great message while learning about someone. Students could relate to the book by showing never to give up and to keep working for your dreams. I think this book would be great for a second grade-third grade. I would have this book in my classroom. ( )

The message of this biography is to always try your hardest because someday you’re going to be someone important.
I enjoyed this book because of the illustrations which are quite fun. They appear as though they were done with colored pencils and pens. They make the biography appealing to young readers because the bright colors and they are quite easy to make out. It was interesting how the illustrator was able to make all the illustrations still appear fun despite several parts of the biography being sad. I believe that that is an important aspect to have when it comes to books for young readers.
I also enjoyed the word choice and the way that the paragraphs were spaced out. The word choice of this book gave the book some credibility. It appeared that most of the phrases and sentences focused on the facts and less on the personal opinions of outside sources. It doesn’t appear that the author was attempting to place any other their personal thoughts and feelings into the story, they were trying to stay with the facts, which I admired about this book. ( )

Summary:
This book is about the first African American to get a pilots' license in the United States. She dreamt about flying her whole life. As a child, she walked four miles to school, so she could learn to read and write. She also walked five miles to drop off clean pressed clothes and to pick up more clothes to be cleaned and pressed to make money for her family. She worked very hard as a young adult so she could go to France to get her pilots' license. She did eventually earn her international pilots' license and returned to the United States. She flew in air shows to earn money. She also spoke at African American schools and churches. She told the people she spoke to that anything was possible. She died when she was preparing for an airshow in Jacksonville, Florida. Thousands of people paid their respects to Bessie Coleman after she died. Today people visit her grave site and drop wreathes from planes to pay their respects to her.

Personal Reaction:
I found this book very interesting. In school I learned about Amelia Earhart, but I don't remember ever learning about Bessie Coleman.

Classroom Extensions:
I would add this book to may collection pof books to be read during Black History Month. I would then have each of the students research a famous African American that has accomplished or stood up for something that was unheard of in their time period.
This book could also be read when learning about the Wright brothers and the first airplanes.

Bessie Coleman was born to an emancipated slave woman and an American Indian in 1892 in Texas. Working her way through cotton fields she dedicated herself to her education and being somebody. Through the love and support of her mother and family she supported herself and extended family members and held the dream of learning to fly one day. Being unable to find an instructor she went to France and there she earned an International Flying License. Once back in the US she became a role model to other black Americans flying in air shows across the country. This is an inspirational story of the value of education and the power of tenacity. ( )