Sprouting Wings: The True Story of James Herman Banning, the First African American Pilot to Fly Across the United States

James Herman Banning always dreamed of touching the sky. But how could a farm boy from Oklahoma find a plane? And how would he learn to fly it? None of the other pilots looked like him.

In a journey that would span 3,300 miles, take twenty-one days, and inspire a nation, James Herman Banning proved that you can’t put barriers on dreams. Louisa Jaggar incorporates over seven years of research, including Banning’s own writings and an interview with the aviator’s great-nephew. She teams up with cowriter Share Becker and award-winning illustrator Floyd Cooper to capture Banning’s historic flight across the United States.