Nonfiction Picture Book Review – Skybound!
SKYBOUND!:
Starring Mary Myers as Carlotta,
Daredevil Aeronaut and Scientist
Written by Sue Ganz-Schmitt
Illustrated by Iacopo Bruno
(Calkins Creek; $18.99, Ages 7-10)
★Starred Reviews – Kirkus, Foreward
I’m always happy to read nonfiction picture book biographies about lesser-known women who did extraordinary things. Mary Myers nee Mary Breed Hawley was one of those women so I’m glad that Sue Ganz-Schmitt and Iacopo Bruno have shined the spotlight on her fascinating story in Skybound. To be honest, I’m surprised that, considering the amazing feats of derring-do that she accomplished, we haven’t heard about her sooner.
Readers meet women in a parlor circa 1850 doing what women were expected to do in the 19th century, “land a husband, have children, and stay tethered to their homes.” Only Mary had other ideas and did not picture herself bound to traditional norms. She dreamed about flying, and found herself preoccupied with aeronauts; people who chose to reach great heights in the only way they knew how, in a hot air balloon.
Mary soon married a fellow aficionado, and together they read, planned, and even invented! “… she helped her husband, Carl Myers, invent a “groundbreaking” balloon fabric. I love the clever use of ballooning terms, often in colored font, when describing different aspects of Mary’s life. Bruno’s art, which I adored in Mesmerized, takes us back in time with attention to period clothing and other details that lift this illuminating story to another level.
Using their new material, Mary and Carl experimented with different balloon shapes and even hired a professional to try them out. But they also wanted their balloons to do more than just fly way up high. They wanted an aeronaut who’d be able to gather scientific data while also entertaining crowds.
Mary made the case for how she could do this and, after much thought, she transformed herself into Carlotta, an exotic name for a performer. She would take her aerial act aloft and remain there “for five miles or thirty minutes.” Even the rain did not stop her! Even the risks, and there were many! Mary’s intrepidness could not be denied. Ganz-Schmitt builds up the tension with her prose as does Bruno’s art. Would Mary, on her solo journey skybound, remain safe? Would the inclement weather prove detrimental? Would she gather the information she needed? I couldn’t wait to find out! And neither will readers.
Eight delightful pages of backmatter delve into more detail about Carlotta’s interesting life including tales of her many close calls while up in the air. I enjoyed the timeline, and seeing a hand-tinted postcard of the Balloon Farm in Frankfort, NY where it was “the only aeronautic institution of its kind in the world.” As a former New Yorker, I wondered why the Balloon Farm was not better known because I’d love to have visited it. Skybound and other picture books that highlight women’s achievements in the 19th and 20th centuries are great for children to read. There are many instances of women who were ahead of their time and these books serve as important reminders that perseverance and vision pay off in myriad ways.
