14 Washington FAMILY FEBRUARY 2021



New children’s picture book by
Louisa Jaggar tells story of first
Black airman to fly across the U.S.

A s a farm boy growing up in Oklahoma around the turn of the 20th century,
James Herman Banning dreamed big. He dreamed of one day touching the sky. But
how could Banning, a young African American boy, find a plane much less locate
someone who could teach him?
In a new children’s picture book “Sprouting Wings: The True Story of James Herman
l Vyskocil
By Michae
Banning, the First African American Pilot to Fly Across the United States” (Crown
Books for Young Readers, 2021), author Louisa Jaggar shares Banning’s story of pursuing
a dream that would ultimately span 3,300 miles in 21 days across one nation. Jaggar,
who lives near Washington, D.C., is the co-founder of Greatest Stories Never Told, a
nonprofit that shares the untold stories of minority and women STEM heroes.

Jaggar weaved together more than seven years of research, including personal accounts
written by Banning himself and an interview with Banning’s great-nephew, to create this
account of one individual’s historic mission to become the first Black man to fly from
Los Angeles to New York City.

In honor of African American History Month, Washington FAMILY invites you to explore
with your children Banning’s story and its message of moving beyond doubt in the
pursuit of accomplishing your dreams. We spoke with Jaggar about her desire, along
with co-author Shari Becker and researcher Pat Smith, to make sure Banning’s life and
legacy weren’t forgotten.

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