12 Days of Picture Books Blog Tour Day 7 - I am Amelia Earhart {A Review}

Welcome to my second review post in the Penguin Young Readers 12 Days of Picture Books Blog Tour. I am thrilled to be participating in this event during this holiday season. What better gift to bestow upon your child(ren) than a book (or many books) to instill the love of reading. Not only will I be sharing reviews of some great children's books (6 to be exact for this blog tour), but you will have the opportunity to go over to the Penguin Young Readers Facebook page to enter to win some awesome books for your kids.

I invite you to stop by my intro post to see the list of the books that are a part of this great celebration.

Today I would like to share my review for I am Amelia Earhart by Brad Meltzer.

I am Amelia Earhart is one book in the Ordinary People Change the World series by Brad Meltzer and illustrated by Christopher Eliopoulos. The premise behind this biography series  for children is that "We can all be heroes." The author has written this series in an effort to answer the question, "What makes a hero?" Each of the books in this series shares the story of great role model, sharing what it was that made them special. In addition to Amelia Earhart, you will find the stories of these famous people:

• Helen Keller
• Albert Einstein
• Abraham Lincoln
• Rosa Parks
• Jackie Robinson
• Lucille Ball

And coming next year, Martin Luther King Jr.

In fact, the first 4 books are available in a boxed set.

I am Amelia Earhart begins in Amelia's childhood. We discover that she loved adventure from an early age. She didn't like the idea of having to be ladylike, and would rather be doing such things as building her own roller coaster using a couple of planks, the side of the shed and a wooden packing box on wheels. Oh, and that was when she was only 7 years old. 

As she grew older, she loved going to air shows, and dreamed of becoming a pilot. She got to fly with Frank Hawks when she was 23 years old. We discover that she worked a variety of jobs to earn money for flying lessons. We learn about her very first plane, a biplane named Canary and her flying instructor, who also was a woman. And of course, we learn that she was the first woman to fly across the Atlantic by herself, though she had been told it wasn't a good idea. The books shares a bit about the flight and the records she broke.

The reader learns what made Amelia special:

• She didn't let people deter her from trying new things.
• She worked harder than anyone else.
• She chased her dream.

The book concludes with pictures of the real Amelia Earhart and important people in her life, in addition to a quote from her, "Never interrupt someone doing what you said couldn't be done."

The book is written to appeal to young children, ages 5-8. Besides the simple text, the pictures are bright and bold, and they have a "cartoony" feel to them. While the adults are proportioned normally, the children have large, over-sized heads.  Additionally, there are little speech bubbles on a majority of the pages, adding cute little dialogue to the story.  It is meant to be a fun way to introduce children to biographies. 

My daughters enjoyed reading this book independently, though they questioned the fact that Amelia Earhart is shown throughout the book as a child. It just didn't make sense to them. I admit, I have to agree. It was a bit weird. I get that the book is directed at young children, but Amelia Earhart was an adult when she did most of the things mentioned in the book. That said, it is still a great introduction to the life of a famous woman. I would say, a jumping off point to learning more about her life. It is just enough for the youngest readers, however, I would say children who are in the older range (like my girls who are 7 and 8) are going to want to know more. 

Personally, I loved the pictures in the back of the book. And Amelia got a kick out of seeing a picture of the real Amelia Earhart at the age of 7 (seeing as that is how old she is right now). 

If you are looking for a fun way to introduce your children to biographies, this series may just be the thing for you. They are a great way to show children that "We can all be heroes."

Don't miss your chance to win 1 of 7 copies of I am Amelia Earhart. Just head on over to the Penguin Kids Facebook Page.

Though I won't be posting a review every day of this blog tour, I hope you will remember to head over to their Facebook page to enter to win the books that you are interested in. Be sure to stop back here to see my reviews for:

• Little Tree 
• Llama Llama Gram and Grandpa
• The Nonsense Show
• The Book With No Pictures
• The Day the Crayons Came Home

Also, be sure to check out the Penguin Young Readers Holiday Gift guide where you can build and share your own wish list from a huge assortment of kids’ books for all age groups.

Here are the participating blogs!

Sleeping Should Be Easy
House of Burke
Homegrown Friends

Growing Up Madison
InRandom
Crafty Moms Share
Satisfaction for Insatiable Readers
Inspiration Laboratories
Clarks Condensed
Book Rock Betty
Kid Lit Frenzy
Bored Mommy
The Delightful Life
Reads and Recipes
Omazing Kids
KidsCreative Chaos
The Chirping Moms
Hello Happy
Spark and Pook
Fun Handprint Art
Mama Smiles
Craftulate
Imagination Soup
Tots and Me
Design of the Picture Book
Gravity Bread
Creative Family Fun
Future Flying Saucers
Mrs. Karle's Sight and Sound Reading
JaMonkey
Coquette Maman
Growing Book by Book
A Little Bit of Everything
Happily Ever Mom
Little Earthling
The Little Tourist

Disclosure: I received a hardcover copy of I am Amelia Earhart by Brad Meltzer in exchange for my honest review as a part of this blog tour. No further compensation was given. This did not in any way influence my review. I only recommend products I use personally and feel will be a good products for my readers.