Simply 7 with Chana Stiefel: LET’S FLY!

Did you know that even today there are still aviation records that can be made?  It’s true!  Today’s nonfiction picture book explores the life of Barrington Irving who broke records as the youngest person and first Black man to fly solo around the world.

Chana Stiefel has visited my blog once before.  She is the award-winning author of more than thirty humorous, heartfelt, and enlightening books for kids, including Let Liberty Rise!, Bravo Avocado!, and The Tower of Life, which won the Sydney Taylor Book Award. Chana loves visiting schools and libraries and sharing her passion for reading and writing with children. You can learn more about her at her website.

LET’S FLY is a nonfiction picture book that Chana co-wrote with Barrington Irving himself.  This true story is fascinating.  When he was younger, Barrington thought playing football would be his ticket to success.  Yet it was aviation that made his heart take flight.  He would go on to break records and long to inspire other young aviators with flying schools.  The illustrations by Shamar Knight-Justice make the sky look incredibly appealing (and I have a healthy respect of heights!).

Welcome back Chana!

Me: How did you first hear about Barrington Irving’s story? What made you want to write a book about him?

Chana: Thanks for inviting me back to your wonderful blog, Jena! I first learned about Barrington Irving in 2012, when an editor at Scholastic reached out to me to write a classroom middle grade book called SKY HIGH. It was a paired biography of Neil deGrasse Tyson, the famous astrophysicist and director of the Rose Center for Earth & Space at the American Museum of Natural History in New York City, and Barrington Irving, who broke records in 2007 to become the youngest person and first Black man to fly solo around the world. A few years after the publication of SKY HIGH, I felt strongly that Barrington’s story needed to reach younger children (ages 3-7). I wanted them to dream big and know that the sky has no limits. With Barrington’s permission, I wrote a picture book biography, which we revised as our co-written autobiography, LET’S FLY!, illustrated by Shamar Knight Justice, coming from Dial/PRH. It took about nine years to get LET’S FLY! off the ground and I couldn’t be more excited!

Me: A lot of new writers struggle with writing a biography about someone still living. How did this story become one that was a co-writing experience?

Chana: As you know, writing is a journey. I had written multiple drafts of the picture book biography in third person, but it didn’t soar. It needed an entirely new approach. I thought back to my children’s pre-school years, when they were so animated and excited about imaginary play. One of the things they loved most was transforming their classroom into an airplane with rows of seats and “flying.” I decided to rewrite the manuscript with a new point of view in which children would feel like they were sitting in the cockpit next to Barrington as he shared his story. The revised story would be told in first person from Barrington’s perspective. Thankfully, he was on board!

Me: From phone interviews, YouTube videos, and previous writing projects, it sounds like your research was unique for this story. Can you tell us a bit about your research process? How long did it take you to research all the different facts and tidbits included?

Chana: The research and writing spanned several years. I started by reading an extensive journal and log of Barrington’s adventure compiled by Holly Peppe, Barrington’s former manager and publicist. I also read every article I could find about Barrington and interviewed him by phone a few times (this was long before Zoom). Then in 2017, I traveled to Miami with my children to meet Barrington in person at Opa Locka Airport, where he works. He gave us a wonderful tour of the airplane hangar and we went up to the air traffic control tower to watch planes take off and land. Just incredible!

By the time I wrote LET’S FLY!, I had conducted a ton of research. Writing the book was a bumpy ride of choosing just the right details to keep the narrative moving, deciding which information belongs in the backmatter, and of course, using Barrington’s voice.

Me: I love Barrington’s story. It’s so inspiring. Why do you want young readers to know about him? Why is telling his story important to you?

Chana: Barrington grew up first in Jamaica and then in Carol City, Florida. Kids bullied him and he faced other challenges. He thought his ticket to success was playing football. But a random meeting with a Jamaican American pilot named Captain Gary Robinson changed his life. After sitting in the cockpit of Captain Robinson’s jet, Barrington was hooked. All he wanted to do was fly! He studied hard, worked many jobs to pay for flight lessons, and practiced to earn his wings. To inspire other kids to learn to fly, he came up with a plan to become the youngest person and first Black man to fly solo around the world. (Read the book to find out how!)

What inspires me every day is Barrington’s blue-sky positivity, determination, and drive. He not only flies planes, but he also runs an after-school program in Miami called Experience Aviation, to teach children STEM and aeronautics. Students learn to build cars and aircraft. Barrington even flew one of the planes he challenged them to build! He is also the founder of Flying Classroom, a program in which he flies around the world conducting STEM experiments. He shares his Pre-K through 12th grade curricula with classrooms around the world. Barrington wants every child from every background to make their dreams a reality. He tells kids, “Just take the first step. Even if you trip or stumble, you’re still moving forward.”

Me: Is it hard to write a biography for someone who is still living?  Surely he still has more life that might be included in a book?  How do you deal with that and any facts that might become outdated?

Chana: Barrington and I are co-authors of this book, a first-person autobiography. By focusing on his record-breaking trip around the world, we wanted to inspire children to see that they too can dream big and accomplish big things! And Barrington still has many chapters ahead! As I mentioned earlier, he works tirelessly educating children about aviation and other STEM topics, and he mentors young pilots and aviation engineers through his newest program, Barrington Irving Technical Training School (BITTS). Follow Barrington for exciting new adventures! 

Me: Shamar Knight-Justice’s illustrations in this book are great! I loved the spread of the globe with all the map markers (and the key) showing Barrington’s flight route around the world. I had no idea he stopped in Anchorage, AK! Were there any illustration surprises for you? Any favorites? 

Chana: The biggest surprises were when Jessica Garrison, our editor at Dial/PRH, agreed to reach out to Shamar, and then when he said YES! Shamar is such a talented illustrator and we’re so lucky to have him on board.

It’s hard to choose a favorite spread. If I could frame one it would be the moment when Barrington’s life is about to change, but he has no idea. He’s looking up at the sky and he’s all potential:

Me: I have a … let’s call it a “healthy respect of heights” and no desire to learn to fly a plane. Yet Barrington makes you want to reach for the stars (despite any challenges that might be involved). Do you have any desire to be a pilot yourself? Why or why not?

Chana: I hear you! As an adult, I’ve developed a fear of heights while hiking. I can’t get too close to a cliff’s edge. But flying is still a thrill. I don’t think I’ll ever earn a pilot’s license, but in 2022, my husband and I traveled to Alaska. We flew on two small planes in which I sat in the co-pilot seat! (Don’t worry, I didn’t press any buttons.) On one flight, we landed on the beach in Lake Clark National Park to see brown bears. It was the adventure of a lifetime! I can totally relate to Barrington’s passion for reaching for the sky.

Wow!  All the way up here! That’s definitely an adventure.  Thank you for stopping by my blog again today Chana.

Dear readers, this book releases on January 14th.  Trust me when I say that this is a story you won’t want to miss.  It’s a story that will lift young readers up and possibly even inspire them to take to the sky someday themselves.  You can preorder it here.