Sprouting Wings: The True Story of James Herman Banning, the First American Pilot to Fly Across the United States (Hardcover) (ISBN-13: 9798855062496)

Shari Becker was born in Montreal, Quebec, and was raised speaking both English and French. She has an MA from New York University and has worked for Nickelodeon, several Disney-owned companies, and even an Emmy Award-winning puppeteer. She is the author of two picture books, including Maxwell's Mountain, a Junior Library Guild Selection and Charlotte Zolotow Honor Book. She lives in Massachusetts, with her husband, their two daughters, and their dog.

Floyd Cooper received a Coretta Scott King Award for his illustrations in The Blacker the Berry and a Coretta Scott King Honor for Brown Honey in Broomwheat Tea and I Have Heard of a Land. Born and raised in Tulsa, Oklahoma, Floyd received a degree in fine arts from the University of Oklahoma and, after graduating, worked as an artist for a major greeting card company. In 1984, he came to New York City to pursue a career as an illustrator of books, and he now lives in Easton, Pennsylvania, with his wife and children.