The Glorious Flight is a biography of the man whose fascination with flying machines produced the Bleriot XI, which in 1909 became the first heavier-than-air machine to fly the English Channel. Louis Bleriot is an important aviation pioneer, and should be remembered in along side of the Wright Brothers and Charles Lindbergh.

The story begins at the breakfast table with the entire Bleriot family. After they eat, they go on a trip into town. While driving, Louis hears a noise above him and looks up. He spots a remarkable new invention flying in the sky and remarks, 'I, too, will build a flying machine'.

The story may be simple but the artwork is captivating. The Glorious Flight won the Caldecott Medal in 1984 for best illustrations in a children's book.

About the Authors
Alice and Martin Provenson had remarkably similar experiences before they met. Both of them were born in Chicago, Illinois, and their families moved to California when they were twelve years of age. In California, they graduated from high school and college. Martin worked for the Disney Studio, in the Story Department, from 1937 to 1941. Alice worked with the artists who drew for the Walter Lantz Studio, the creators of Woody Woodpecker. Both studios were in Hollywood. They didn't meet until 1943, when Martin, who was now in the Navy, was assigned to the Walter Lantz Studio to help create instructional films for the military. Alice and Martin married in 1944 and moved to Washington, D.C., where both were employed in war-related jobs. When peace was declared, the couple moved to New York City, where friend and artist Gustaf Tenggren helped them get their first picture book illustration assignment. That first book was The Fireside Book of Folk Songs. They bought a farm in upstate New York, and their book A Year at Maple Hill Farm has become a classic. They illustrated several Golden Books, among them The Color Kittens and Animal Farm. In 1982, one of their illustrated books, A Visit to William Blake's Inn, by Nancy Willard, received the Newbery Medal. In 1984, the couple received the Caldecott Medal for The Glorious Flight, about French aviation pioneer Louis Bleriot.

Soft Cover
40 pages

Reading Level
Ages 4-8

Publisher
Puffin (1987)