By Tina Vasquez, for The Children’s Book Review
Published: December 3, 2010
by John Nez
Reading level: Ages 5-8
Hardcover: 32 pages
Publisher: G.P. Putnam’s Sons (2009)
Source of book: Publisher
Unlike other non-fiction children’s books focused on historical events, Cromwell Dixon’s Sky-Cycle features bright and playful illustrations that lend a lighthearted feel to the events that unfold, making the story of a child soaring into the sky on an unreliable and homemade device more playful hat most parents would probably think possible.
Cromwell Dixon was a mechanical genius, even as a child. While most boys his age were playing with their friends and climbing trees, Cromwell was busying himself with inventive creations, like a rowboat for four rowers and a mechanical fish made entirely out of old windup clocks. When Cromwell was a teenager in the early 1900’s, the world was abuzz with what at the time was believed to be cutting edge technology: electricity, telephones, light bulbs, ocean liners, etc. Cromwell, on the other hand, was captivated by “flying machines and airships.”
So, like any good boy genius with a mechanical mind, Cromwell spent months creating what could only be described as a flying bicycle or “sky-cycle.” With the help of his devoted and supportive mother (and after suffering a few unfortunate setbacks), the sky-cycle was ready for its first flight in front of a large crowd of people.
Though Cromwell’s first flight on his new invention was technically a success, it wasn’t safe and young readers will be astonished to find out how the young boy wonder kept his wits about him despite encountering major problems and having to make an emergency landing. It’s definitely one for the record books.
Add this book to your collection: Cromwell Dixon’s Sky Cycle
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