Teresa Flavin

Bessie Coleman grew up picking cotton in Texas, but she aimed high — soaring into history as the first African American woman aviator. Her riveting story is told in inviting, rhythmic language and engaging illustration.

Bruchac adapts seven traditional tales from various tribes into plays for children. Each play is introduced with a brief tribal background, a list of characters, suggestions for props and scenery, and recommended costumes. Representing tribes from Bruchac’s own Abenaki to the Cherokee, Tlingit, and Zuni, the plays are mostly pourquoi tales, explaining how mosquitos came into the world or why stars are visible at night.