Book review: A Show Me History graphic novel, "Amelia Earhart: Pioneer of the Sky!" is a great way to immerse kids in history

What do you know about Amelia Earhart? Probably that she vanished while trying to fly across the world. Right? Well that's about all I knew about her too. Then I picked up, "Amelia Earhart: Pioneer of the Sky!" This "Show Me History!" series is off to a promising start and it's been a blast having their first four books in my home.

Amelia Earhart did not grow up in an easy family situation. Her father was an alcoholic and, because of it, the Earhart family moved around constantly. It wasn't until her parents separated during her last year of high school that she finally started experiencing stability. But wouldn't last long.

Amelia trained as a nurse's aide, cared for World War I veterans, became a driver, and filled her life with meaning as a social worker, all while earning her wings and getting her sky pilot's license. This woman understood hard work and wasn't afraid to help those who needed it.

Not only was she a pioneer in aviation history, but she was also a gigantic forerunner in showing that women can do anything men can. She insisted upon retaining her maiden name after marriage and even wrote to papers, telling them to refer to her that way.

Learning about this dynamic woman is heightened by the wonderful, full-color illustrations. I'm coming to understand why my kids enjoy graphic novels so much. The pictures really added to the story and had the perfect amount of color and action without distracting from the story. 

Now lets talk a bit about something I didn't enjoy about this book.

The two narrators, Lady Liberty and Sam, give entertaining and great historical explanations in the book. However, I was disappointed that the authors found it necessary to constantly show Sam as a less than educated male, constantly being reprimanded and taught by the female character, Lady Liberty. I get that this book is about a strong woman, but I don't think it was necessary to continually put the male character down in order to show the female character's strength. Couldn't they both be strong and smart?

That being said, I really appreciated Lady Liberty and Sam explaining that the letters written in the book by Amelia were her actual words and that anything in yellow word balloons were what Amelia actually said. The historian in me loved the added authenticity of those little details.

Written in in full-color graphic novel format, "Amelia Earhart: Pioneer of the Sky!" is a dynamite book that can delight child through adult. This book has no violence or romance. There was one curse word in the book, which I ended up Sharpie-ing out.

Author James Buckley Jr lives in California, USA. Illustrator Kelly Tindall lives in Montreal, Canada.