In 1901, Frenchman Louis Blériot, an inventor and the father of a large family, dreamed of flying his own airship. Eight years, eleven planes and several mishaps later, Blériot, with his family cheering him on, became the first person to fly across the English Channel. The shifting perspectives of the bronze-tinted watercolor paintings give viewers a real sense of a truly glorious flight. Honor Book, CCBC Caldecott Straw Vote. (Ages 4-11)

Winner of the Caldecott Medal, this stunningly illustrated book depicts Louis Bleriot's historic first cross-Channel flight.