Skywriting: Poems to Fly

Tracing the history of flight, this collection of poems celebrates the daring dreams of humans, from Icarus's doomed journey ("Tracing an angel's tracks,/ he rose on wings of wax") to modern space shuttles. Hot-air balloons, blimps, and rockets are featured in order of their creation, with failures (such as the Minerva and Ornithopter) portrayed as often as successes (zeppelins, the Wright Brothers' Flyer, and the Concorde). Kubinyi's precise linework and sense of movement are well-matched to the mechanical subject matter and capture the spirit of flight across the ages; endnotes and a time line offer background information. Ages 10–up. (Sept.)