Email Novel Suspects Logo
Hachette provides comprehensive global distribution services in the following territories:
United States flag Switch to United States region United Kingdom flag Switch to United Kingdom region Australia flag Switch to Australia region India flag Switch to India region

Hachette Book Group menu

  • Home
  • Publishers
  • Customers
  • Sustainability
  • Retailer Portal
  • Location
  • Our Culture
  • Our Careers
Go to Hachette Book Group home

Hachette Book Group menu

  • Home
  • Publishers
  • Customers
  • Sustainability
  • Retailer Portal
  • Location
  • Our Culture
  • Our Careers

By clicking “Accept,” you agree to the use of cookies and similar technologies on your device as set forth in our Cookie Policy and our Privacy Policy. Please note that certain cookies are essential for this website to function properly and do not require user consent to be deployed.

Flying Free

How Bessie Coleman's Dreams Took Flight

Flying Free Open the full-size image

Loading

Contributors

By Karyn Parsons

Illustrated by R. Gregory Christie

Formats and Prices

On Sale
Dec 1, 2020
Page Count
48 pages
Publisher
Little, Brown Books for Young Readers
ISBN-13
9780316457194

Price

$18.99

Price

$24.99 CAD

Format

  1. Audiobook Download (Unabridged)

Format:

  1. Hardcover $18.99 $24.99 CAD
  2. Audiobook Download (Unabridged) $4.98

Buy from Other Retailers:

  • Amazon
  • Barnes & Noble
  • Books-A-Million
  • Bookshop
  • Target
  • Walmart

Based on Karyn Parson’s critically acclaimed Sweet Blackberry video series comes the story of Bessie Coleman, the first African American pilot to fight for her right to fly.

Before Bessie Coleman blazed a high trail with her plane . . . Before she performed in death-defying flying shows that would earn her fame as “Queen Bess” . . . Before she traveled the country speaking out against discrimination, Bessie was a little girl with a big imagination that took her to the sky, through the clouds, and past the birds.
 
Knocking down barriers one by one, Bessie endured racism and grueling training to become the first black female pilot and an inspiration to Mae Jemison, Josephine Baker, and many more influential people of color for years to come.

Don’t miss the remarkable story of Garrett Morgan in Saving the Day: Garrett Morgan’s Life-Changing Invention of the Traffic Signal!

Genre:

  • Children's Books
  • Juvenile Nonfiction
  • People & Places
  • United States
  • African American
  • African American & Black

Series:

  • A Sweet Blackberry Book

Karyn Parsons is best known for her role as Will Smith's cousin Hilary Banks on NBC's The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air. After leaving acting behind, Karyn has gone on to found and produce Sweet Blackberry, an award-winning series of children's animated films, to share stories about unsung Black heroes in history, featuring narration from stars such as Alfre Woodard, Queen Latifah, and Chris Rock. The videos have been screened on HBO and Netflix, and enjoyed by schools and libraries across the country. She is the author of Flying Free: How Bessie Coleman's Dreams Took Flight, How High the Moon, and Saving the Day. Karyn lives with her family in Providence, Rhode Island.

R. Gregory Christie is a Caldecott Honor Winner, a six-time recipient of a Coretta Scott King Award Honor, a two-time winner of the New York Times 10 Best Illustrated Children's Books of the Year (2000 and 2002), a winner of the Theodor Seuss Geisel Award for illustration, and a recipient of the NAACP's Image Award. When he's not illustrating books, he operates GAS-ART GIFTS, a children's bookstore with autographed copies in Decatur, Georgia.

  • “A nice biography of a trailblazer who broke a glass ceiling in aviation for women, and for people of color.”
    School Library Journal
  • “[R. Gregory] Christie’s stylized illustrations bring life to Coleman’s trailblazing achievements.”
    Publishers Weekly
  • "[A] worthy introduction."
    Booklist
  • Praise for Saving the Day:

    * “The story of Morgan’s accomplishments is entertaining and informative. A fine contribution to African American creative nonfiction for young readers.”
    Kirkus Reviews, starred review  

You May Also Like

H Is for Harlem
H Is for Harlem $18.99 $23.99 CAD
A Child’s Introduction to African American History
A Child’s Introduction to African American History $19.99 $24.99 CAD
Being Bruja
Being Bruja $17.99 $23.99 CAD
Young Historians Club: Black American History
Young Historians Club: Black American History $12.99 $16.99 CAD
Indigenous Ingenuity
Indigenous Ingenuity $9.99 $12.99 CAD

Newsletter Signup

Get recommended reads, deals, and more from Hachette

By clicking ‘Sign Up,’ I acknowledge that I have read and agree to Hachette Book Group’s Privacy Policy and Terms of Use

Karyn Parsons

About the Author

Karyn Parsons is best known for her role as Will Smith’s cousin Hilary Banks on NBC’s The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air. After leaving acting behind, Karyn has gone on to found and produce Sweet Blackberry, an award-winning series of children’s animated films, to share stories about unsung Black heroes in history, featuring narration from stars such as Alfre Woodard, Queen Latifah, and Chris Rock. The videos have been screened on HBO and Netflix, and enjoyed by schools and libraries across the country. She is the author of Clouds over California and How High the Moon. Karyn lives in Providence, Rhode Island, with her family.

Learn more about this author

R. Gregory Christie

About the Illustrator

Learn more about this illustrator

A Sweet Blackberry Book

Saving the Day
Saving the Day
▲
HBG Distribution logo
  • FAQ
  • Vendors
  • Cookie Policy
  • Report Piracy
  • Fraud Alert
  • CPSIA
  • GPSR
© 2025 Hachette Book Group | Terms of Use | Privacy Policy | Contact Us | Do Not Sell My Personal Information