Dreaming of Flying

November is a great time to learn more about aviation, from the hot air balloon to the invention of the airplane by the Wright brothers as we celebrate National Aviation Month. Since the first time man was able to successfully fly on December 17, 1903, the way the world lives has changed – from the way we send mail, to the way we travel, to being able to send a man to the moon.

Explore the history of aviation from the beginning with these great books:

The Wright Brothers explores Wilbur and Orville's lives and their challenges in inventing the first controlled, powered flying machine. I love the photos and drawings along with the personal quotes and captions throughout the book from Will and Orv as they were known to their family and friends.

Into the Air is a wonderful graphic novel adaptation of the story of the Wright brothers' work and first flight at Kitty Hawk.

Feathers, Flaps & Flops highlights lesser known early fliers such as the Montgolfier Brothers, who invented the hot-air balloon, Cal Rodgers, the first to fly across America, and Bessie Coleman, the first African-American female pilot.

Aircraft buffs are sure to enjoy looking through Airplanes which covers the history of different kinds of aircraft from zeppelins to seaplanes, WWI fighters and WWII bombers to commercial airliners. Four cool overlays for the Spirit of St. Louis (flown by Charles Lindbergh in the first solo crossing of the Atlantic in 1927), a 1940's jet plane, the Concorde, and the F-22 Raptor are also included.

The Eyewitness Visual Dictionary of Flight: is an amazingly detailed book featuring different types of flying machines and aviation technology. My personal favorites are the illustrations of the cockpits and instruments from early flyers of the 1900s.