When Amelia Earhart was a little girl studying geography, countries of the world seemed very far away from Atchison, Kansas, where she lived with Grandpa and Grandma Otis. Amelia sometimes thought it would be fun to be a bird and fly to strange, faraway places—to Newfoundland, Africa, or Hawaii.

Only the birds could travel quickly that far, in the early days of this century. There were trains and ships, of course, but planes were simply odd, awkward contraptions exhibited at fairs. It had been only a few years since two reckless young men had actually made a machine fly at Kitty Hawk, North Carolina. Amelia had seen only one plane in her whole life, and never dreamed she would someday be the first woman to fly across oceans.

Besides, Amelia then was really much more interested in the past than in the future. In Atchison she had heard all the family stories of her pioneer ancestors, who had come in covered wagons to settle Kansas, before it was even a state. How wonderful it would have been to live in days when brave, daring people journeyed to new territories, fought Indians and shot buffalo! Amelia herself had invented a noisy, exciting pioneer game that she played constantly with her little sister Pidge and the neighborhood children. And she tried in every way to be as fearless as a true pioneer girl.

This was somehow much easier than being the "little lady" Grandma wanted her to be. Grandma thought little girls should always look sweet and dainty, in pretty dresses. They should learn to sew, and for exercise they should take their dolls riding in a doll carriage. Amelia tried hard to please Grandma, and she did enjoy that kind of play. But she was sure she could also ride a bicycle, drive nails, play football and go coasting as well as a boy, and she had to try at least once, to prove it. Though she was as pretty and dainty as any little girl in Atchison in 1904, Amelia did things girls had never done there before. And she finally convinced even Grandma that times—and little girls—were changing!

This story about her childhood shows that the same traits of independence and daring which distinguished a famous woman were present in the little Kansas girl. Because she had always been a pioneer, it wasn't surprising that the grown-up Amelia ventured into a new world, and was one of the first American women to explore the air. Because she achieved so notably in her own right, and because she lived up to some of the best American ideals, Amelia Earhart is a natural addition to the Childhood of Famous Americans Series. Her story introduces another likable character, who will be a favorite among boys and girls.

From the dust jacket