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This post is in partnership with The Children’s Book Review and Leona Cobham. All opinions are my own.
Book Information
Flying Circus Through Thick and Thin
Written by Leona Cobham Illustrated by Timothy O’Brien Ages 7+ | 144 Pages Publisher: Cobham Wings | ISBN-13: 9781739407032 Publisher’s Book Summary: A group of anthropomorphized airplanes encounter extreme weather while training at a mountain base. The Spitfire and the biplane, Woody, discover a suspicious mining operation. Tom, the F-14, accidentally gives their radio frequency to the antagonists at the mine. A snowstorm causes more problems. Tom makes amends by rescuing an F-117 Nighthawk. The second story is a comic tale of mistaken identity. Spif feels responsible for the smooth running of a historical commemoration, but his plans are hampered by a series of hilarious errors involving statues of Wellington and Napoleon. In the final story, when the friends are invited to an air show in the height of summer they become impatient with a Chinook who is garnering attention. They take to the sky, and the Tomcat lights his afterburners. When a fire starts, he assumes it was his fault. He overcomes his shame to help with the firefight. Spif must put his pride aside and accept assistance from the popular Chinook. Each aircraft contributes to the effort with its own unique skill set. When they save some scouts who have been camping, it turns out it was the scouts who started the fire. They realize through making mistakes, we learn. Author Interview
I'm excited to share my interview with Leona Cobham. She was immersed in the world of aviation from a young age; her grandfather, Sir Alan Cobham, made many first-time flights as well as pioneering the invention of air-to-air refueling. Leona absorbed this love of flying and travel. While working in a forest recuperation project in Brazil, Leona volunteered to teach in a shanty town. Here, a lifelong interest in understanding different learning styles began. On return to the UK, she began to write children’s fiction and worked part-time as a classroom reading assistant. Believing happy children learn best, Leona infuses her writing with humor, adventure, and a big feel-good factor. Her endearing characters overcome personal as well as technical challenges to succeed.
For more information, visit: www.cobhamwings.co.uk Where did you get the inspiration for Flying Circus Airplane Adventures series? Children are reading less than any previous generation; a third of children surveyed reported being unable to find things to read that interest them. Yet research shows that strong reading skills are a key predictor of successful learning. So, I felt inspired to combine exciting fiction, which is enjoyable to read, with facts. Many children groan at the thought of learning, but I honestly believe it’s possible to enjoy the process. If a child feels happy, they learn so much better. By combining feel-good adventures with technical information about aviation, my books put readers in this happy space where they see how the airplanes pull off the feats they do. I’m passionate about aviation and I want to share that excitement. For example, in Dangerous Elements (Book 2), an airplane is lost and her pals on the ground use radar to look for her. The lost airplane is a stealth plane, so she has a very small radar return. My reader now has a visual on how radar works in the real world. I believe it’s this combination of fact with fiction that can be effective in getting youngsters back into reading. What was your writing process like for this book? I work out the driving question behind the story before anything else. This is embedded in the plot. For children’s adventure books, I believe this has to take the form of a physical challenge, a hero’s journey. Emotional challenges then arise on the back of this physical challenge. I write an outline with the inciting incident, the motivating aspect that locks the protagonist in, plot points for the unfolding action, and finally the resolution: the new truth. Only then do I begin writing the book. Early on, I decided I didn’t want to write for a traditional publisher but instead, write for me and my readers! That means I can retain my integrity and write what I believe in. It also means I have to take time out from writing for marketing. It’s well worth the price. What is your favorite part about writing books for kids? I write about the awesome nature of flight! I hope I inspire readers to follow careers which push the boundaries of technology. The character arcs in my stories allow readers to see the value of emotional intelligence and the benefit of collaborating with others. And at the end of the day, my readers may develop a love of reading simply because they felt good when they were engrossed in the world inside the book. I think there’s a metaphor inherent in flight: my readers can get themselves off the ground and fly high. They are in the pilot’s seat. By learning, they become empowered. What are you working on now? Book 3 in the Airplane Adventures series. What is your favorite book? Jonathan Livingstone Seagull by Richard Bach. Giveaway
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