Written by Kirsten W. Larson & Illustrated by Tracy Subisak

Wood, Wire, Wings:

Emma Lilian Todd Invents An Airplane

CBC/NCSS Notable Social Studies Book (2021)

CBC/NSTA Best STEM Book for K-12

A Mighty Girl Best Book for Elementary Students (2020)

2021 Bank Street College Best Book for Ages 5-9

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About this book

This riveting nonfiction picture book biography explores both the failures and successes of self-taught engineer Emma Lilian Todd as she tackles one of the greatest challenges of the early 1900s: designing an airplane.

The details

RELEASE DATE: February 25, 2020

AGES: 7-10

PAGES: 48

FORMAT: Hardcover

PUBLISHER: Calkins Creek, Astra Publishing

ISBN-13: 9781629799384

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Praise

“Energetic, thoughtful text punctuated by Todd's own words and Subisak's inventive, warmly outlined full-color illustrations follow her life from a childhood interest in the way things work through her subsequent work at the U.S. Patent Office to her many trials and errors in creating prototypes and eventually a working plane.”

— Kirkus Reviews
“The illustrations give life to this narrative nonfiction account of Todd’s upbringing and her thirst for solving problems through prototyping. Each gear and each part used in her childhood mechanical creations is drawn with noticeable detail. Movement is depicted through wispy clouds and bold strokes in the sky when the story focuses on Todd’s fascination with flight. Vivid colors add a warm, rich tone to match the extraordinary effort and care that Todd put into inventing.”

— School Library Journal
"In tribute to the hands-on spirit of all inventors— but especially women—Larson profiles a little-known, self-taught engineer who designed a working aircraft that improved upon the Wright brothers' model. In windswept digital watercolors, Subisak depicts her as an active, confident figure. Back matter... includes a comprehensive source list and a general time line of aviation in the Wright era. Todd herself was not a pilot, but her story pairs naturally with those about the first generations of female aviators."

— Booklist
"Persistence in the face of repeated failures is a recurring theme in this book about Todd, a little-known pioneer in early-20th-century aviation design. Todd’s childhood love of tinkering...serves her well in her adult quest to design a working airplane. Todd’s plucky perseverance appeals, and Subisak’s cheerily cluttered loose-lined illustrations conjure a world of patent diagrams, dreams, experimental machines, and grit."

— Publishers Weekly

Press

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Taiwanese American Literature for Children

Cover of a teacher's guide titled 'Wood, Wire, Wings' by Emma Lilian Todd, featuring an illustration of a girl in a blue dress with flying airplanes and birds in the sky.

For Teachers & Readers

Discussion Guide

This classroom guide offers activities to help teachers integrate Wood, Wire, Wings into English language arts (ELA), mathematics, science, and social studies curricula.

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Tracy Subisak smiling outdoors on a grassy area, holding a stack of books or magazines, with a large bridge, trees, and a body of water in the background.

About Tracy

Tracy Subisak is the mixed-Taiwanese American author and illustrator of Sorry, Snail and award-winning Jenny Mei Is Sad. She has also illustrated many picture books including The Inactivity Book, written by Kyo Maclear and Amah Faraway, written by Margaret Chiu Greanias. Her books have been featured in publications such as the Washington Post, Wall Street Journal and PBS Books. Tracy currently resides in Portland, Oregon with her family and copious amounts of plants.

MORE ABOUT TRACY