SHARI BECKER
LOUISA JAGGAR
FLOYD COOPER
“We were gifted with the artistry of Floyd Cooper
(winner of the Coretta Scott King Award for his illustration work), who captures Banning’s
emotions so completely and beautifully in the illustrations of “Sprouting Wings.””
So many children are taught that the
heroes who shaped America were white.

But we know that is not the real America.

Our America is filled with heroes from all
ethnicities, genders, religions and sexualities.

During our research, we found over 90
articles written about Banning. In 1932, he
was a superhero to many people. Yet most
people have never heard his name because
89 of those articles we read were published
in African American newspapers. Books such
as “Sprouting Wings” give all children the
chance to see themselves in the heroes who
shaped our country.

What inspires you the most about
Banning and his quest to take to the
sky in flight?
I admire so many things about Banning—
most of all that he built his own plane to
earn his solo hours and gain his pilot’s
license. Would you build your own car
in order to earn your driver’s license?
No pilots would let him fly their planes
because he was Black. But that prejudice
didn’t stop him. He ordered a Jenny
Biplane manual that gave instructions on
how to put an airplane together. He took
parts from crashed biplanes and parts
from salvaged automobiles and built a
flightworthy craft. Wow! Think of the
ingenuity combined with passion and
determination. What are some of the ways you
hoped to capture this idea for children
in this book?
We were gifted with the artistry of
Floyd Cooper (winner of the Coretta
Scott King Award for his illustration
work), who captures Banning’s emotions
so completely and beautifully in the
illustrations of “Sprouting Wings.” All
of Banning’s dialogue in the book is
taken from his own words and the many
articles he wrote about his journey. We
also wanted to capture Banning’s love of
flying from the time he was a child and
throughout his adulthood.

What was it like to interview the
aviator’s great-nephew for this book?
I had a fabulous time interviewing Philip
Hart, a truly gifted storyteller. Philip Hart
shared family stories and made me and
researcher Pat Smith feel as if we were
getting to know Banning personally. He gave
me permission to write the story, and it was
an honor to do so.

How were you able to connect with
this individual for your research?
Philip Hart had written a number of
articles about Banning. We called and
asked if we could meet with him. We were
able to meet with him numerous times.

Meeting in person was a gift because it’s
rare to be able to interview a relative or
someone with such a close connection to
your subject.

16 Washington FAMILY FEBRUARY 2021
What were some of the challenges
and surprises you encountered along
the way in your research and writing?
Challenges? There are three different death
certificates for Banning. Each had a different
cause of death and told a different story.

We had to slow down and research carefully
to find the truth. Checking and double-
checking sources was crucial. One of the best
surprises that came our way was when Pat
Smith found Thomas Cox Allen’s manuscript
in the bottom of a mouse-chewed box in
the attic of an Oklahoma museum. Allen
was Banning’s mechanic on the flight, and
he wrote down all the details of the flight
as well as all the names of the people who
donated and helped along the way to make
their historic flight possible.

What is the biggest takeaway you hope
to leave with readers of your book?
When communities come together, they can
do almost anything. Twenty-four communities
and over 72 people made the Banning flight
possible. The second takeaway is that some
of the heroes who contributed to the Golden
Age of Flight were Black men and women
determined to follow their dreams. They did
so even though their paths were filled with
people and laws that tried to hold them down
on what to them was “freedomless ground.”
Banning was resilient, showed grit and worked
incredibly hard for his dream—that might
make three takeaways. Being resilient is
important in life and particularly important
when you fly against the odds. n
LOUISA JAGGAR: ERIKA LAYNE, SHARI BECKER: JESSICA SCHENKE
FLOYD COOPER: PROVIDED. TEXT COPYRIGHT ©2021 BY LOUISA JAGGAR.

Why do you think James Herman
Banning’s story is relevant for
children today?



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