Kristina Yee

Bobbi Gibb was the first woman to run the Boston Marathon, after her application was rejected on the basis of sex. (Kathrine Switzer was the first woman to run the marathon with a number; on her application she used only her first initial. See Her Fearless Run.) Bobbi loved running from when she was a child, and was determined to run a marathon. The book focuses on her life up to running Boston, but the bio in the back matter tells of her impressive studies in science as well as further running accomplishments.

Art appears to be pen and ink and watercolor, with a lovely, lively sense of movement, and a red swoosh following Bobbi as she runs.

The continued rhyming refrain, with the first line altered each time ("So she ran with her pack going higher and higher, / just her and the sound of the wind in the fire") didn't work well for me, as wind + fire makes me think of California wildfires.

Back matter includes a few paragraphs of biography about Bobbi Gibb, two photographs, and a timeline from the first modern marathon at the Athens Olympics in 1896 to "today," when "more than 12,000 women run the Boston Marathon every year."… (más)

This book is based on a film titled Miss Todd and Her Wonderful Flying Machine. It was a short animated musical film made to depict the real life story of Miss E. Lillian Todd. In 1910, Miss Lily Todd became the first woman in the world to build and design airplane. The book the pics the engineering process that Miss Todd went through to build her first airplane. It also depicts the struggles she had to go through like people doubting her and the fact that females were not allowed to fly. I would use this book in my classroom to depict the engineering process and share a real life story about an engineer feat.… (más)

Miss Todd and Her Wonderful Flying Machine tells the true story of the first woman to design and build an airplane, Miss Lily Todd. Despite the many obstacles in the way, Miss Todd's creation was able to take to the skies and soar! The illustrations in this book are absolutely gorgeous, and the story is about hope, inspiration, and determination. This is a great story for boys or girls about having imagination & determination in the face of negativity. There are interesting illustrations that make me want to watch the short film upon which the book is based. The illustrations were different than most that I have seen, I was not a huge fan of the pictures, but the plot of the story was very interesting.… (más)