By Nikki Grimes
Illustrated by E.B. Lewis

Elizabeth "Bessie" Coleman was always being told what she could and couldn't do. Growing up in a time when segregation was a way of life, it was not easy to survive. Bessie didn't let that stop her. Although she was only eleven when the Wright brothers took their historic flight, she vowed to become the first African-American female pilot. Her sturdy faith and determination helped her overcome obstacles of poverty, racism, and gender discrimination.

Told as a series of richly imagined monologues crafted by acclaimed author Nikki Grimes, with superb illustrations by E.B. Lewis, Bessie's story challenges each of us to push beyond our limitations to pursue our own dreams.

A Coretta Scott King Award Winning Book

By Natasha Anastasia Tarpley
Illustrated by E.B. Lewis

It is the 1920s and segregation is commonplace in the United States, including in Joe-Joe's small town of Blind Eye. Joe-Joe's father works at the local airport and he's wanted to fly since the first time he saw a plane in the air. But the day for his first lesson never seems to come, no matter how many promises have been made, and Joe-Joe's father and the other All-Original Flying Men have lost hope that they'll ever get their chance. Their sadness has spread over the town and formed a cloud so thick even the moonlight and stars can't break through. But on one magical night, little Joe-Joe takes his first plane ride and he's got a plan: he's going to talk to that moon and try to lure her back to Blind Eye so the townsfolk can be happy again.

Beautifully told in lush language and illustrated with E.B. Lewis's lavish watercolor paintings, this is an extraordinary storybook about what can happen when one child's hopes and dreams are allowed to flourish.