Jumbo - by Chris Gall (Hardcover)

About the Book

For the 50th anniversary of the Boeing 747's first commercial flight, a picture book about the development of the iconic passenger plane and how it changed the history of air travel.

Book Synopsis

For the 50th anniversary of the Boeing 747's first commercial flight, a picture book about the development of the iconic passenger plane and how it changed the history of air travel.

In 1968, the biggest passenger jet the world had ever seen premiered in Everett, Washington. The giant plane was called the Boeing 747, but reporters named it "the Jumbo jet."

There was only one problem. It couldn't fly. Yet.

Jumbo details the story of the world's first wide body passenger jet, which could hold more people than any other plane at the time and played a pivotal role in allowing middle class families to afford overseas travel. Author and illustrator Chris Gall, himself a licensed pilot, shows how an innovative design, hard work by countless people, and ground-breaking engineering put the Jumbo jet in the air.

On January 22, 1970, the Boeing 747 made it's first transatlantic flight, taking passengers from New York to Paris in seven hours.

Review Quotes

"In a properly lap- and eye-filling format (it has a 2-foot wingspan), a soaring tribute to the 'Queen of the Skies.' [...] A blast from the past, sure to transport fans of all things big and loud." - Kirkus, starred review

"This handsome volume delivers a good deal of information about the world's first jumbo jet, the Boeing 747... An intriguing book for any kid who is passionate (or even a little curious) about planes." - Booklist, starred review

"Gall's attention to detail dazzles." - Publishers Weekly

"This informative picture book is a fantastic purchase for all libraries and is destined to be loved by young airplane enthusiasts." - School Library Journal

Praise for Go for the Moon: A Rocket, A Boy, and the First Moon Landing
"Gall uses approachable analogies to illuminate STEAM concepts, and an author's note recalls Gall's experience watching the moon landing as a child, further personalizing this edifying and heartfelt story." - Publishers Weekly, Starred Review
"Gall balances densely explanatory pages with wide-angle scenes filled with tension and drama." - The New York Times
"The final double-page spread is a stunning, vertiginous view of the boy's next generation of homemade rockets lifting off. A solid addition to the growing collection of fine volumes about Apollo 11." - Kirkus
"[Gall's] enthusiasm for rocketry shines brightly in loving attention to hardware detail in the art, with human participants rendered as merely necessary adjuncts." - Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books
"Recommended for science classes and school and public library collections." - School Library Journal
"The large trim size places the focus on the richly colored illustrations, which chart and diagram each phase of the journey and return." - Booklist

About the Author

Chris Gall earned a degree in fine arts from the University of Arizona and is the author and illustrator of a dozen acclaimed books, including Dinotrux, a Publishers Weekly Best Children's Book of the Year, The Littlest Train, Dog Vs. Cat, and Go For the Moon. Chris lives in Tucson, Arizona.