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Alaskan author Brooke Hartman is an award-winning children's book author; West Margin previously released Dream Flights on Arctic Nights in 2019, which continues to be a top seller and was a Children's Book Review best picture book of 2019
Colorado illustrator John Joseph has won the ACP Excellence in Publishing Award for Best Picture Book; his vivid, energetic images can also be seen in West Margin's Chickens on the Loose
Can pair with aviation/plane/transportation merchandise, other titles, and products/toys
Free activity guide will be available for teachers and parents
Synopsis: A rhyming picture book about how sometimes it's not the biggest, strongest, or the fastest, but the littlest who can get the job done!
Back matter will include further details about bush planes, including the different parts of a bush plane and their purpose
Lexile AD500L; F&P Text Level N.
About the author
Brooke Hartman is an award-winning author of children’s books, including Dream Flights on Arctic Nights, which was included in Children’s Book Review’s Best Picture Books of 2019 list. The daughter of a plane mechanic and the wife of a pilot, Brooke loves aviation and all types of planes, especially the little bush plane. She lives in Chugiak, Alaska.John Joseph is an artist, illustrator, elementary school art teacher, and community leader. He has won the ACP Excellence in Publishing Award for Best Picture book and has illustrated for several children’s books, including Chickens on the Loose. He lives in Colorado with his wife, two sons, and a German Shepherd.
Summary
A rhyming picture book about how sometimes it’s not the biggest, strongest, or the fastest, but the littlest who can get the job done!
"Charming, entertaining, and original, The Littlest Airplane is an especially and unreservedly recommended addition to family, daycare center, preschool, elementary school, and community library picture book collections for children ages 4-7."
—Midwest Book Review
"This is a really cute story about a plane that is smaller than all the others. He feels inferior because he can’t do what the big planes can. But when people get stuck in a storm and call for help, the big planes are too big to land to rescue the people, the little plane can reach them and he saves them. The illustrations were cute; I love the expressiveness of the planes. . . 4 stars."
—Youth Services Book Review
"The text clearly stands out against Joseph's wonderful illustrations, which work in tandem with the text to convey exactly what's happening in the story. These scenes are big and colorful, making it easy to see all aspects of the picture, even from a distance—perfect for story hours. . . Altogether, Hartman has created another wonderful ride of a story. A great rhyming read aloud for little learners to introduce different types of planes and spot light the oft-forgotten bush plane."
—School Library Journal
"The story told in lilting rhyming text is brought to life in colorful illustrations featuring personified airplanes with expressive faces and beautiful Alaskan scenery. Facts about bush planes and a labeled diagram of a plane appear in the back pages. Young children identify with being small and wanting to be important. They will recognize this story as a good companion to The Little Engine That Could."
—Children's Literature Comprehensive Database
“Alaska Northwest Books wings into spring with... The Littlest Airplane by Brooke Hartman, illus. by John Joseph, in which a storm necessitates calling a mighty little bush plane to rescue people stuck on a mountain in the snow.”
—Publishers Weekly, Spring 2022 Children’s Sneak Previews
At a landing strip in the far north, a little bush plane watches quietly as bigger, stronger, faster planes take off for adventure. But when a storm hits and hikers are stranded on the mountain, who will come to the rescue?
Told in rhyming verse with bright illustrations, The Littlest Airplane soars high with heart and excitement.
Foreword
AWARDS: CBC Notables, PNBA award, ALA notables, and other children’s book awards
EVENTS: virtual/in-person in Alaska, and PNW
REVIEWS: regional media (Alaska), kids and parents, and national trade
ONLINE: full social media campaign with outreach to children’s bookstagrammers and bloggers; book trailer and book guide will be available
PROMOTION: DRC via Edelweiss and hard copy ARC available; outreach via author and illustrator newsletters; giveaways via Goodreads, LibraryThing
TRADESHOWS: galleys/giveaways at ALA, PNBA, Alaska Library Association Conference
