Jeffery Boston Weatherford, illustrator of You Can Fly: The Tuskegee Airmen, will talk about his artwork portraying the pioneering African-American World War 2 pilots on Wednesday, Oct. 19 at 7:30 p.m. at the Takoma Park Maryland Library. You Can Fly was written by Jeffery’s mother, the award-winning kids’ nonfiction writer Carol Boston Weatherford; the book is Jeffery Weatherford’s debut as an illustrator. In the book, Carol Weatherford details — in 33 short poems — the compelling story of how the Tuskegee Airmen fulfilled their dream of flying despite the racist odds against them. In its review, Booklist noted: “The use of second-person voice addressing the airmen puts readers in the shoes of courageous individuals who took part in the ‘Tuskegee Experiment.’ Included are evocative scratchboard illustrations contributed by the author’s son. With poems such as ‘Operation Prove Them Wrong’ and ‘Lena Horne: More than a Pinup,’ this volume offers a vivid, personal point of view.” At our program, Jeffery Weatherford will talk about the research he did for his illustrations and show his final artwork. He’ll also do some live drawing. While the book is aimed at kids ages 9 up, teens and adults who are interested in history and/or art also will enjoy this program! Copies of “You Can Fly” will be for sale, but the program is free and no purchase is required to attend.

In Return, Becker completes his critically-acclaimed, wordless picture book trilogy, which began with the Caldecott Honor-winning Journey and continued in Quest. Reminiscent of Harold and the Purple Crayon, Becker’s trilogy depicts an even richer, more complex fantasy world that can be enjoyed by a wide range of ages. Writing of Return, Kirkus called the book “a fantastic final leg to a reading journey that altered, expanded, and enriched the landscape of children’s literature — and surely many young people’s lives.”