Amelia and Eleanor Go for a Ride by Pam Muñoz Ryan

Amelia and Eleanor Go for a Ride Reviews

• 
  Calista

  I can’t believe this wasn’t up for a Caldecott award. This is a fabulous book that is about a true event between Amelia Earhart and Eleanor Roosevelt. The drawings were fantastic pencil drawings and this is Brian Selznick’s work. I didn’t notice until I was done.
  
  It’s true, Amelia took Eleanor up in a plane at night to fly around DC and see how beautiful the lights were. They flew to Baltimore and then were driven home. This is a great story about women being capable of doing fun and exciting things too.
  
  My niece loved this book and she gave this 5 stars. The nephew liked this book too, but he wasn’t as crazy as the niece and he gave it 4 stars. READ THIS BOOK!
• 
  Cyndi

  An excellent kids book! Mr H (my five year old grandson) and I loved it! During the Great Depression the two women met and became fast friends. This is the beautiful story of one after dinner adventure with two wonderfully strong women.
• 
  Abigail

  "Amelia and Eleanor were birds of a feather.
  Eleanor was outspoken and determined.
  So was Amelia.
  Amelia was daring and liked to try things other women wouldn't even consider.
  Eleanor was the very same."
  
  Amelia, of course, was famous aviator Amelia Earhart, the first woman to fly the Atlantic Ocean; and Eleanor was Eleanor Roosevelt, First Lady of the United States and committed activist for human rights. This lovely picture-book, based on a true story, follows Amelia and Eleanor as they slip out from a White House dinner (under the watchful eyes of a disapproving Secret Service) and take a night flight over Washington, D.C.
  
  With gorgeous pencil illustrations by Brian Selznick, who was awarded a Caldecott Medal for
  The Invention of Hugo Cabret, and a smooth-flowing narrative, Amelia and Eleanor Go for a Ride is a picture-book triumph, and will appeal to all young children with big dreams. Little girls especially, will thrill to this tale of two extraordinary women who never let sexism stand in the way of their achievements.
• 
  Ann

  Fun, informative and lovely to look at!
  
  Beautiful B&W illustrations accompany this exciting story of the relationship between Amelia and Eleanor and their thrilling outing into the night skies!
  
  What's great about this book is, not only the adventures Amelia and Eleanor embark on, but the way the author weaves in the strength, independence and determination both women had and were both criticized and loved for.
  
  The author's note in the back is equally informative. Not only was I unaware of this exciting adventure, I was also previously unaware of these women's friendship.
  Highly recommended!
• 
  Kathryn

  I think this book is splendid!!! You really feel like, just for a few minutes, you get to go out for a lovely evening of fine dining, good conversation, and rousing adventure with two dear chums who also happen to be two of the most famous women in American history!!! It's just really warm and cozy but with a dash of daring! ;-> The historical note at the end is great. I wasn't at first sure what I felt about the B&W artwork, but I was charmed by the end. Selznick is pretty darn good as those of you who read "Hugo Cabret" know!
• 
  Lisa Vegan

  When I borrowed this book from the library, at the same time as many other books, this one stood out because of the striking black and white cover illustration. At first, I wasn’t sure I was wild about the picture but it sure got my attention. Then, I was won over by the black and white illustrations throughout the book. They’re so big & vivid: I could see the blue in the scarf, the pink on the cake, the colorful flowers; I was able to “see” everything in color. The black & white also seemed authentic because the events take place in the 1930s, when movies and photos were in black & white.
  
  I had not known that Eleanor Roosevelt and Amelia Earhart were friends or that Eleanor received her student airplane pilot’s license. The events described in this story are snippets about two fascinating women.
  
  There’s an author’s note in the back of the book that tells of the research that went into this book. Perhaps instead of its place on my biography and history shelves it belongs on my historical-fiction shelf. Events were slightly changed, but this is basically a true story, as much a non-fiction book as many memoirs and biographies, so I’ll leave it as a non-fiction book.
  
  This was a fun book because the fun these women had and the enjoyment they felt was described so well, in both the illustrations and the story.
  
  This is one of six books for March about “outstanding women” that I’m reading for the Picture-Book Club at Goodreads’s
  Children's Books group. These two women were certainly remarkalbe and this book is an excellent selection for the upcoming discussion.
• 
  Ann

  Another triumph for the team of Ryan-Selznick. Friends in real life, America's First Lady invited the "First Lady of the Air" to dinner at the White House in 1933. Eleanor, inspired by Amelia's descriptions of Washington viewed from her plane at night, accepts the pilot's offer of an after-dinner flight over the capital. Before dessert can be served, and over the protests of the Secret Service agents, the two are off to the airport and up in the sky, thrilling to the brilliance of the city below. The intimacy between the two women is palpable; especially in Selznick's illustrations. To the point where I may have discovered this as a coded lesbian story in my youth.
• 
  Judy

  maybe 1.5
  
  I'm surprised by all of the glowing reviews. I wouldn't use this with a young audience. As I read it to myself, I kept kids firmly in mind, assuming that maybe the target audience was about 7 years old.
  
  At that age, the vast majority of kids don't know anything about Amelia Earhart, Eleanor Roosevelt, early flight, Washington DC, the White House, Chesapeake Bay, secret service men, the early days of the automobile, ... If each of these topics had been addressed separately, the content would be appropriate; it would help kids see the connections between various subjects. But as it stands, it might as well be written in a foreign language. And Ryan should have stuck with the facts; the alterations weren't necessary, but they are misleading.
  
  Yes, there's way too much info for a book this size, and the word choice doesn't fit the audience. (Unless the target age is 5th or 6th graders.) I opened the book to a random page for these examples:
  • The enormous, light-drenched monuments looked like tiny miniatures.
  • The Chesapeake Bay became a meandering outline on the horizon.
  • It seemed as if the plane crawled slowly through starstruck space.
  What is the 'big idea' that the author wants kids to remember after seeing/hearing/reading this book?
  
  For a picture book for kids, this is the wrong art.
  • The pictures need to back off. Instead of showing a cozy view of the diners at the table, back off and show the size of the dining room. Instead of the close up front view of the plane with two huge headlights (actually propellors), show the plane from a distance. The only image that felt appropriate is the night view of the capitol from the air ... but even so, it would have been better if the White House had also been included since it is the main setting for the story (as well as the airplane).
  • Use color for the indoor scenes and black-and-white for the outdoor scenes. The night flight is the important event, so make it distinctive by using a contrasting color scheme.
  
  The more I think about it, the more I see this as an example of how education should NOT look. When the material being presented is inappropriate conceptually, it doesn't matter how it's presented or even how the kids respond. The content will go in one ear and out the other.
  
  I'm not keeping it.
• 
  Clara

  Amelia and Eleanor Go For A Ride by Pam Muñoz Ryan
  
  This is a historical fiction picture book inspired on a true event when Eleanor Roosevelt (America’s First Lady) and Amelia Earhart (First Lady of the Air) met in the White House for a dinner on April, 1933. During dinner, the two friends talked about flying as Mrs. Roosevelt had just received her student pilot’s license. Amelia invited Eleanor to leave the dinner and fly over the capitol. That night, the two adventure women flew the night sky to Baltimore in the Curtis Condor twin-motor plane wearing their elegant outfits. By the time they came back to Washington D.C., a group of reporters met them at the landing field. But the adventure did not stop there, afterward, Eleanor took Amelia for a ride around in the city in her brand-new car. Pam Muñoz Ryan sets up an unforgettable illustrated story about overcoming society's view of women during the 1930’s demonstrating that women even then had just as much a sense of adventure as men. Also, to prove that you can do anything you set your mind to.
  
  I recommend this book for 4th grade in which students can discuss the importance of the role of women in society. Students can also find the similarities and differences between these two ladies. Awards: ALA Notable Children’s Book, 
Book Sense Book of the Year Finalist
  
  
  
  
  
  
• 
  NS Kelley

  This is a fictional story about two famous historical figures, Amelia Earhart and Eleanor Roosevelt. The story is about the two women who meet up one night to have dinner. They decide to take a plane ride around Baltimore, despite what others think. Their independent outlook on life is what brings them together to help others see that the unthinkable can be done. Each women is independent in her own way and it is emphasized several times throughout the book. The book also gives a historical perspective on each woman and what they did for out country.
  
  What a wonderful story to help promote gender equality in children! I think this book would be best suitable for grades 2-5. I like how it gives the historical facts of each person while still having a high interest storyline. It is a great way to bring history into the early elementary grades. The illustrations were amazing and very appealing to the eye. They were all done in black in white but had wonderful detail. I think the black and white pictures help set the tone for the old fashioned time period
• 
  Barbara

  Based on a real incident in the lives of two famous women, Amelia Earhart and Eleanor Roosevelt, this picture book describes how the famous aviator takes the First Lady for a spin in the middle of a dinner party in the White House and then imagines that turn about is fair play and has Eleanor take Amelia for a speedy ride in her new automobile, leaving the Secret Service agents behind. After their ground-breaking activities, the two women return to the dinner party and enjoy dessert. The text and graphite pencil and colored pencil illustrations allow the women's inner beauty and zest for life to shine. Readers feel as though they are present at the dinner and perched right over the shoulders of the two women as they fly through the air. Fans of Amelia and Eleanor will simply have to add this book to their classroom or home library.
• 
  Shawna Vinovich

  This book is about the night Amelia Earhart, the first female pilot to fly solo across the Atlantic Ocean, and Eleanor Roosevelt, the First Lady of the United States, took an adventure together. It explains how the two women met, became friends and the risks they liked to take. This author made sure her research was accurate before writing this children’s story and her dialogue in the story was from newspaper accounts, book transcripts and diaries, which is a great way to teach students how they can write a story that comes from an historical event. I would use this story when teaching about historical figures and can be used as a lesson when teaching students in the grades from first through second.
• 
  Gina

  Fantastic story about Amelia Earhart and Eleanor Roosevelt's friendship. Wonderful message about girls being able to do the things that were once thought of as strictly for men. Illustrations were gorgeous- very "Chris Van Allsburg-ish".
• 
  Manda

  Great picture book recounting a little-known event in the lives of Amelia Earhart and Eleanor Roosevelt. Though relatively new to Pam Munoz Ryan's writing, I'm finding I like her books a lot! Really nice artwork as well.
• 
  Casandria

  This is the book Leslie Knope would have wanted to write. Lovely illustrations and such a fun story. I'm a big fan of these 2 free-thinking feminists!
• 
  Shiloah

  What a beautifully illustrated story of two dynamic women. It was a fun glimpse into their lives. I loved the picture of the two of them that night.
• 
  Jill

  Amelia and Eleanor Go For A Ride by Pam Muñoz Ryan is a charming story, and boasts drawings by Brian Selznick. The book is about the friendship between First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt and the celebrated aviator Amelia Earhart, also conveying some of the ways in which both women were daring pioneers for their time.
  
  At a dinner at the White House, Earhart offered to take the First Lady for a ride, and, in spite of opposition from the Secret Service, they set off to Baltimore. They were back at the White House in time for dessert - Eleanor Roosevelt’s angel food cake, the recipe for which is included at the end of the book. An Author’s Note at the end of the book provides the historical background for the largely unknown flight of the two women on April 20, 1933.
  
  Evaluation: In addition to telling a great story, the illustrations by Selznick add immeasurably to the tale. Selznick did extensive research for the book; we learn that even the wallpaper and china patterns on the plates used at the dinner at the White House are authentic. Selznick, of course, is the award-winning author/illustrator of The Invention of Hugo Cabret. Every book he illustrates is magical.
• 
  Dolly

  This is a fascinating story about a visit that Amelia Earhart and her husband made to Eleanor Roosevelt in the White House and a flight they took together.
  
  Though some of it may be exaggerated or made up, it is based on a real event and even includes a picture of the flight, with an explanation of how the story came together.
  
  These two adventurous women have inspired people for decades, and it's great to see a story about them together, spontaneously carefree and having the time of their lives.
  
  This story was selected as one of the books for the
  March 2010 - Outstanding Women reads at the
  Picture-Book Club in the Children's Books Group here at Goodreads.
• 
  Sarah

  This is an inspiring story for girls everywhere. Although some of the story was fictionalized, Amelia Earhart and Eleanor Roosevelt really did meet and correspond with one another. On April 20, 1933, Ms. Earhart and her husband really did sit down to dine with the amazing new First Lady. Though the language might seem a bit stinted, the simple text structure makes this subject-matter approachable and inviting to younger students. The gorgeous, graphite and colored pencil drawings capture the vivacity of these women and the simple beauty of the era in which they lived. The illustrations enhance the text, giving it greater depth than the words themselves bring forth. After the book is shared in class as a read-aloud, even students who cannot fully read will want to pour over the story, reliving it through the beautifully detailed pictures.
  
  
• 
  Celia Buell

  Most people know that Amelia Earhart was the first woman to complete a solo trans-Atlantic flight, but I definitely didn't know that Eleanor Roosevelt had a Junior Pilot's License, which Earhart encouraged her to get. I love that this book is truly a story of two friends exploring their own girl power before it's anything political.
  
  It's always a lot of fun to read these sort of micro-biographies. I don't know if there's a term for a book that would be a memoir if it were written by the subject, but there definitely should be, especially in children's literature and picture books.
  
  Read my full review on my
  Goodreads account for children's books
• 
  Nancy Kotkin

  Text: 5 stars
  Illustrations: 5 stars
  
  Children's picture book about Amelia Earhart and Eleanor Roosevelt, who are described as kindred spirits, both strong-willed and adventurous women. When Amelia and her husband attend a dinner party at the White House at the invitation of Eleanor, the two women sneak off, first for a plane ride, then for a car ride. Historical fiction based on a true event. Very effective black-and-white pencil drawings with just a hint of purple. Includes a dessert recipe for "Pink Clouds on Angel Food Cake." Author's note distinguishes the historically verified facts from the fictionalized account.
• 
  Cheryl

  I have mixed feelings and substantial reservations about putting this book in a classroom library.
  
  The author labels this a fictionalized book and I appreciate that information is included in the notes. It is a charming story but several important parts are changed from fact to fiction or very suspect. Oddly enough, the truth was so interesting that I feel sad the author felt the need to embellish and remove it from non-fiction.
  
  It misled some of the reviewers who label it non-fiction and would mislead children as well.
  
  
• 
  Shaeley Santiago

  The story of Amelia Earhart eating dinner at the White House with Eleanor Roosevelt on April 20, 1933. The Author's Note at the end of the story explains how Amelia got Eleanor up in an airplane with her that evening, although neither woman piloted the flight. There is even a picture of the two of them looking out the window of the airplane. Another interesting piece at the end of the story is a recipe from The Presidential Cookbook for Eleanor Roosevelt's Pink Clouds on Angel Food Cake.
• 
  Kirsten Whisler

  This book was really interesting and captivating. It was nice to be able to see a historical event in a more fun and entertaining way.
• 
  Jackie B. - Death by Tsundoku

  There is nothing like a children's picture book which tells an inspiring true story about strong women. They are just perfect for me. This is the second of
  Pam Muñoz Ryan's books I've ever read, and I am quite impressed. Her stories are clear, concise, but also provide a lot of insight to the characters-- of whom all have been strong females, thus far.
  
  Based loosely on a true story,
  Amelia and Eleanor Go for a Ride tells the story of when Amelia Earhart and Eleanor Roosevelt flew over Washington DC in April 1933. Though this story, we see Amelia and Eleanor as both strong female role models, but also as the real women they are. We learned tiny details of their lives which made them realistic and approachable. For example, Amelia presented Eleanor a matching flying scarf when she visited for dinner at the White House. Or, that Eleanor had her student pilot's license and loved to drive cars.
  
  The most striking part of this book are Brian Selznick's illustrations. The whole book is black and white (charcoal?). I felt like that was really appropriate since all the photos we have of these ladies are in black and white, and the whole adventure takes place at nice. The shading is remarkable. Amelia and Eleanor both look very similar to the photographs I've seen, making this book even more realistic to me.
  
  I recommend this book to anyone interested in history, Amelia Earhart, Eleanor Roosevelt, or well illustrated children's books.
• 
  Stephanie Delvecchio

  Summary: Amelia and Eleanor Go for a Ride was written by Pam Munoz Ryan and illustrated by Brian Selznick. Appropriate for children ages five through ten, this book describes an adventure taken by Eleanor Roosevelt, the First Lady, and Amelia Earhart, the pilot. Amelia was invited to go to the White House, where her and Eleanor begin their adventure. After eating dinner, Amelia takes Eleanor on a plane ride to Baltimore and back. Eleanor, sharing a love for independence and adventure with Amelia, thoroughly enjoyed this. Before ending the night, Eleanor takes Amelia for a joy ride in their new car.
  
  This book is based on a true story, and is a great book to add to a history lesson. It discusses how unusual it was for women to be pilots and to drive cars. These women were part of some of the first generations of women to really push for equality among men and women. In the "Author's Note," Ryan tells the real history behind this eventful night. She also mentions how both Amelia and Eleanor were great activists for women's rights.
  
  I really enjoyed this book. I can imagine using this book as a read-aloud for fun or for an introduction to a history lesson. This book was elected as an American Library Association Notable Book for Children (ALAN) and as a Notable Social Studies Trade Book by the National Council for the Social Studies in 2000.
  
  Themes: Women independence, determination, history, activists, civil rights
  
  Curricular use: Read aloud, independent reading
  
  Level: ages 5-10
• 
  (NS) Becca

  From Publishers Weekly
  In this sparkling picture book based on a true incident, Ryan (Riding Freedom, with Selznick) proves that Amelia Earhart and Eleanor Roosevelt truly were "birds of a feather." Friends in real life, America's First Lady invited the "First Lady of the Air" to dinner at the White House in 1933. Eleanor, inspired by Amelia's descriptions of Washington viewed from her plane at night, accepts the pilot's offer of an after-dinner flight over the capital. Before dessert can be served, and over the protests of the Secret Service agents, the two are off to the airport and up in the sky, thrilling to the brilliance of the city below. Hewing closely to documented accounts, Ryan's inviting text adds drama and draws parallels between the two protagonists with fictional touches: she places them alone together in the plane (an author's note explains that in fact they were accompanied by two male pilots) and adds a final scene in which Eleanor takes Amelia for a zippy ride around the city in her brand-new car. Selznick's illustrations, black-and-white graphite accented with touches of purple pencil, both capture the vibrancy of his subjects and evoke the feel of a more glamorous era. A brief but compelling slice from the lives of two determined, outspoken and passionate women. Ages 5-9. (Oct.)
  Copyright 1999 Reed Business Information, Inc.