The Fearless Flights of Hazel Ying Lee

Parents need to know that The Fearless Flights of Hazel Ying Lee is a picture book for young readers that recounts the true story life and career of American hero Hazel Ying Lee, the first Asian American woman to pilot planes for the U.S. military. From an early age, Hazel is bold, brave, and resists any box society wants to put her in, though she takes a job as an elevator operator to pay for her flying lessons. She then tests fighter jets right off the assembly line and is one of the only 132 women to be given "flying pursuit" status (meaning she can fly fighter jets). One scene shows a male farmer with a pitchfork chasing a young woman across a field. Another scene vividly show bombs exploding on a ship in the distance. A story is told of two planes crashing and a young woman dying, though nothing is shown. Some younger readers might be challenged by the vocabulary ("manufacturing," "begrudgingly," "miscommunication," "philosophy"), but the positive themes and messages of bravery, anti-sexism, and anti-racism, and changing the world make the challenge well worth it. An author's note gives more biographical information about Lee.