Written by Victoria Griffith and illustrated by Eva Montanari

While the Wright Brothers were gliding over Kitty Hawk, the charming Brazilian Alberto Santos-Dumont was making his own mark on the history of flight Alberto Santos-Dumont loved floating over Paris in his personal flying machine called a dirigible. He would tie it to a post, climb down, and spend the day shopping or meeting friends for coffee. But he wanted to make his invention even better. By 1906, Alberto had transformed his balloon into a box with wings! But now there was competition. Another inventor challenged Alberto to see who would be the first in flight. Albertos’s hard work paid off, and his airplane successfully soared into the air, making him the first pilot to lift off and a completely self-propelled plane. 

“Montanari’s chalky illustrations are distinguished by a strong sense of motion, and the story’s suspense (rival pilots! harrowing landings!) and surprise cameos (Luis Cartier!) make this an elegant tribute to a hero of early aviation.” – Publishers Weekly.

“Montanari captures the look, dress, and formality of the era her splendid, impressionistic pastel, chalk, and oil paintings. The endnotes add details and facts about the life of this charismatic, adventurous man and mark his place in aviation history.” – School Library Journal

USA (Abrams books 2011)

For world rights please contact: kschulze@abramsbooks.com