Children's books and activities

Flight

Do you know any kids who are fascinated by airplanes, spaceships, hot air balloons, and other fantastic flying machines? We've gathered up a great collection of books, activities, apps, and websites for learning all about flight.

Try pairing fiction with nonfiction books and exploring different genres (like poetry and biographies) and formats (like graphic novels and audio books). You'll be creating your own "text sets" — collections of texts focused on a specific topic, such as flight. Reading widely in this way helps children build background knowledge, vocabulary, and comprehension skills.

You might also want to explore our Space Rangers summer science program, with a free toolkit ready to print and use! 

Flight

Great Fiction & Nonfiction Books

Age Level: 3-6 years old

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Abuela

By:
Arthur Dorros

Age Level: 3-6 years old

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Astronauts Today

By:
Rosanna Hansen

Age Level: 3-6 years old

cover of "Flight of the Honey Bee" showing bees in flight

Flight of the Honey Bee

By:
Raymond Huber
Illustrated by: Brian Lovelock

Age Level: 3-6 years old

illustrated cover of "Kite Flying" showing child running with a dragon kite

Kite Flying

By:
Grace Lin

Age Level: 3-6 years old

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Rocket to the Moon

By:
Lerryn Korda

Age Level: 3-6 years old

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The Airport Book

By:
Lisa Brown

Age Level: 3-6 years old

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The Glorious Flight: Across the Channel with Louis Bleriot July 25, 1909

By:
Alice Provensen
, Martin Provensen

Age Level: 3-6 years old

Zephyr Takes Flight

By:
Steve Light

Age Level: 3-6 years old

Age Level: 6-9 years old

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cover of "Air Show" showing a plane flying and other planes on the ground below

Air Show

By:
Treat Williams
Illustrated by: Robert Neubecker

Age Level: 6-9 years old

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Amelia and Eleanor Go for a Ride

By:
Pam Muñoz Ryan
Illustrated by: Brian Selznick

Age Level: 6-9 years old

Circle

By:
Jeannie Baker

Age Level: 6-9 years old

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Daring Dozen: The Twelve Who Walked on the Moon

By:
Suzanne Slade
Illustrated by: Alan Marks

Age Level: 6-9 years old

cover of "Flight: A Pop-up Book of Aircraft" showing different kinds of planes

Flight: A Pop-Up Book of Aircraft

By:
Robert Crowther

Age Level: 6-9 years old

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Flight: The Journey of Charles Lindbergh

By:
Robert Burleigh
Illustrated by: Mike Wimmer

Age Level: 6-9 years old

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Floating in Space

By:
Franklyn Branley
, True Kelley

Age Level: 6-9 years old

cover of "Fly High" showing a pilot in a prop plane

Fly High! The Story of Bessie Coleman

By:
Louise Borden
, Mary Kay Kroeger
Illustrated by: Teresa Flavin

Age Level: 6-9 years old

Flying Free: How Bessie Coleman's Dreams Took Flight

By:
Karyn Parsons
Illustrated by: R. Gregory Christie

Age Level: 6-9 years old

cover of "Flying Machines" showing different kinds of planes

Flying Machine (Eyewitness)

By:
Andrew Nahum

Age Level: 6-9 years old

cover of "Give Me Wings" showing a boy with his arms out and transparent wings

Give Me Wings

By:
Lee Bennett Hopkins
Illustrated by: Ponder Goembel

Age Level: 6-9 years old

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Go for the Moon: A Rocket, a Boy, and the First Moon Landing

By:
Chris Gall

Age Level: 6-9 years old

How Do Birds Find Their Way?

By:
Roma Gans
Illustrated by: Paul Mirocha

Age Level: 6-9 years old

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Into the Air: An Illustrated Timeline of Flight

By:
Ryan Ann Hunter
Illustrated by: Yan Nascimbene

Age Level: 6-9 years old

cover of "Kids Paper Air Plane" showing two airplanes flying

Kids' Paper Airplane Book

By:
Ken Blackburn
, Jeff Lammers

Age Level: 6-9 years old

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Lighter than Air: Sophie Blanchard, the First Woman Pilot

By:
Matthew Clark Smith
Illustrated by: Matt Tavares

Age Level: 6-9 years old

cover of "Look to the Stars" showing man in space suit with edge of Earth behind him

Look to the Stars

By:
Buzz Aldrin
Illustrated by: Wendell Minor

Age Level: 6-9 years old

illustrated cover of Mae Among the Stars showing girl in space helmet with night sky behind her

Mae Among the Stars

By:
Roda Ahmed

Age Level: 6-9 years old

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Mae Jemison

By:
Luke Collins

Age Level: 6-9 years old

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Out of This World: Poems and Facts About Space

By:
Amy Sklansky
Illustrated by: Stacey Schuett

Age Level: 6-9 years old

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Owly: Flying Lessons

By:
Andy Runton

Age Level: 6-9 years old

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Sky High: The True Story of Maggie Gee

By:
Marissa Moss
Illustrated by: Carl Angel

Age Level: 6-9 years old

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Soar, Elinor!

By:
Tami Lewis Brown
Illustrated by: Francois Roca

Age Level: 6-9 years old

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Tar Beach

By:
Faith Ringgold

Age Level: 6-9 years old

cover of "The Adventures of Sparrowboy" showing young boy with his hands on his hips

The Adventures of Sparrowboy

By:
Brian Pinkney

Age Level: 6-9 years old

cover of "The Fabulous Flying Machines of Alberto Santos-Dumont" showing a crowd and planes in front of the eiffel tower

The Fabulous Flying Machines of Alberto Santos-Dumont

By:
Victoria Griffith
Illustrated by: Eva Montanari

Age Level: 6-9 years old

The Fearless Flights of Hazel Ying Lee

By:
Julie Leung
Illustrated by: Julie Kwon

Age Level: 6-9 years old

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The Klutz Book of Paper Airplanes

By:
Doug Stillinger

Age Level: 6-9 years old

Tiny Bird: A Hummingbird's Amazing Journey

By:
Robert Burleigh
Illustrated by: Wendell Minor

Age Level: 6-9 years old

cover of "wind flyers" showing boy and dog on the wing of a prop plane

Wind Flyers

By:
Angela Johnson
Illustrated by: Loren Long

Age Level: 6-9 years old

cover of "Wings" showing boy flying with white wings

Wings

By:
Christopher Myers

Age Level: 6-9 years old

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Wings

By:
Sneed Collard
Illustrated by: Robin Brickman

Age Level: 6-9 years old

Age Level: 9-12 years old

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Classified: The Secret Career of Mary Golda Ross, Cherokee Aerospace Engineer

By:
Traci Sorell
Illustrated by: Natasha Donovan

Age Level: 9-12 years old

cover of "Flying Machines" showing a child in front of a prop plane

Flying Machines

By:
Nick Arnold
Illustrated by: Brendan Kearney

Age Level: 9-12 years old

illustrated cover of Skywriting: Poems to Fly showing a hot air balloon with sails.

Skywriting: Poems to Fly

By:
J. Patrick Lewis
Illustrated by: Laszlo Kubinyi

Age Level: 9-12 years old

Talkin’ About Bessie: The Story of Aviator Elizabeth Coleman

By:
Nikki Grimes
Illustrated by: E.B. Lewis

Age Level: 9-12 years old

cover  of "The Wright Brothers" showing photo of Wright brothers' plane

The Wright Brothers: How They Invented the Airplane

By:
Russell Freedman

Age Level: 9-12 years old