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  • Jet Plane: How It Works
  • Elizabeth Bush
Macaulay, David. Jet Plane: How It Works; written and illus. by David Macaulay with Sheila Keenan. David Macaulay Studio/Macmillan, 2012. 32p. (My Readers) Trade ed. ISBN 978-1-59643-764-7 $15.99 Paper ed. ISBN 978-1-59643-767-8 $3.99 R Gr. 2–4.

“A jet plane stands at the gate. Baggage rides up the belt. Isn’t that your suitcase? This must be your plane.” With this introduction, readers imagine themselves in the lucky shoes of a young boy who has a window seat right behind the wing, a great vantage point for watching some critical bits of the plane in operation. Macaulay explains each stage of the flight, from fueling to taxi to takeoff, while diagrams and cutaways show how the plane moves away from the gate, how air makes its way into the engine’s combustion chamber and out past the spinning turbine, how air rushing over the wing surface creates lift, and how pressure on the tail’s elevators pushes the plane’s nose up. Although engineering is the main event here, Macaulay also adds a few observations about the passenger experience: the clunk of retracting and extending landing gear, the bump of tires hitting tarmac, the ding that signals the end of the flight when “everyone jumps up. Bins fly open. Passengers move slowly toward the door.” Watercolor views of the machinery and airports are just as informative and engaging as one expects from Macaulay. Kids packing their carry-ons for flights of their own will want to tuck in a copy. An illustrated glossary and index are included.

Elizabeth Bush
Reviewer
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