On Dec. 17, 1903, Wilbur and Orville Wright flew their way into history after conducting the first successful controlled powered aircraft flight. Though the initial test flight that day lasted only 12 seconds, the implications of this short journey can still be felt today.

In First to Fly, Vancouver writer Peter Busby explains and celebrates the Wrights’ remarkable achievement, combining biography with science text to create an engaging and accessible story for readers eight and up. The book also marks an accomplishment for Busby, who, in his first narrative for children, conveys the most difficult of concepts clearly without oversimplification. Audiences will appreciate both his language and tone.

David Craig’s illustrations add interest and texture, as do historical photographs, document facsimiles, and Jack McMaster’s diagrams. These elements combine to produce a layout that’s varied but not too busy. The text’s scholarly components, including a timeline, glossary, and bibliography, make it an excellent starting place for research.

Though the biography portions of the narrative would benefit from more fleshing out and consistency, they add an important context to the story of this engineering feat. Since neither brother went to university, and Orville never finished high school, their achievement seems that much more exceptional; they illustrate that genius can follow many paths to success.

In his epilogue, Busby describes Orville cautiously taking his 81-year-old father on his first flight. Exhilarated by the experience, Bishop Wright yelled, “Higher, Orville! Higher!” First to Fly may well act as the same sort of encouraging cheer to the fledgling engineers, inventors, and dreamers who read this fine book.