P&P Live! Louisa Jaggar, Shari Becker, and Floyd Cooper | SPROUTING WINGS

Join Louisa Jaggar, Shari Becker, and Floyd Cooper as they discuss SPROUTING WINGS about the first African American pilot to cross the U.S. Click here to purchase

James Herman Banning loved flying kites as a young boy. Fascinated by the way wind carried leaves and birds, he knew he just had to find a way to fly, too. Restless and eager for his dream to become reality, James built his own plane out of salvaged parts and found freedom in the air. He performed aerodynamic stunts for the first Black air show in 1932 and soon after found a flying partner in Thomas Cox Allen. The two groundbreaking pilots, nicknamed The Flying Hobos, shook up the piloting world with determination and guts. Inspired by a newspaper clipping, Sprouting Wings was tenderly researched as part of the Greatest Stories Never Told series, complemented by handsome illustrations that evoke the era.

Louisa Jaggar is the creator and co-author of the Smithsonian’s Saving Stuff. Saving Stuff received national attention and was featured in Parade Magazine as a Parade Picks, The Washington Post, and on NPR’s All Things Considered. She has served as lead writer on over fifteen national science curriculum guides for the Smithsonian, PBS, Chicago’s Field Museum, the US Navy, and others. She has been a columnist for Washington Parent and has contributed articles to Diversion and the online site Family Travel Network. She lives near Washington, D.C.

Shari Becker was born in Montreal, Quebec, and was raised speaking both English and French. She has an MA from New York University and has worked for Nickelodeon, for Disney-owned companies, and even for an Emmy Award–winning puppeteer. She is the author of two picture books, including Maxwell’s Mountain, a Junior Library Guild Selection and Charlotte Zolotow Honor Book. She now lives in Massachusetts, with her husband, their two daughters, and their dog.

Floyd Cooper received a Coretta Scott King Award for his illustrations in The Blacker the Berry and a Coretta Scott King Honor for Brown Honey in Broomwheat Tea and I Have Heard of a Land. Born and raised in Tulsa, Oklahoma, Mr. Cooper received a degree in fine arts from the University of Oklahoma and, after graduating, worked as an artist for a major greeting card company. In 1984, he came to New York City to pursue a career as an illustrator of books, and he now lives in Easton, Pennsylvania, with his wife and children.

Ages 7-10

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Founded by Carla Cohen and Barbara Meade in 1984, Politics and Prose Bookstore is Washington, D.C.'s premier independent bookstore and cultural hub, a gathering place for people interested in reading and discussing books. Politics and Prose offers superior service, unusual book choices, and a haven for book lovers in the store and online.

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