Jumbo: The Making of the Boeing 747

"Jumbo: The Making of the Boeing 747" takes young readers on an engaging journey through the creation of one of the most iconic airplanes in history. This picture book, ideal for ages 4-11, details the innovative design, immense challenges, and collaborative effort by countless engineers and workers that brought the Boeing 747 to life. Author and pilot Chris Gall expertly explains how the "Jumbo Jet" went from a seemingly impossible idea to a reality, ultimately making overseas travel affordable for middle-class families and transforming global aviation. It's a story of perseverance, ingenuity, and the power of human ambition.

For the 50th anniversary of the Boeing 747’s first commercial flight, a picture book about the development of the iconic passenger plane and how it changed the history of air travel. In 1968, the biggest passenger jet the world had ever seen premiered in Everett, Washington. The giant plane was called the Boeing 747, but reporters named it “the Jumbo jet.” There was only one problem. It couldn’t fly. Yet. Jumbo details the story of the world’s first wide body passenger jet, which could hold more people than any other plane at the time and played a pivotal role in allowing middle class families to afford overseas travel. Author and illustrator Chris Gall, himself a licensed pilot, shows how an innovative design, hard work by countless people, and ground-breaking engineering put the Jumbo jet in the air. On January 22, 1970, the Boeing 747 made it's first transatlantic flight, taking passengers from New York to Paris in seven hours.