Here is the little-known history of Otto Lilienthal, a daring man whose more than 2,000 successful flights inspired the Wright Brothers and other aviation pioneers. In 1862, balloons were the only way to reach the sky. But 14-year-old Otto Lilienthal didn’t want to fly in balloons. He wanted to soar like a bird. Scientists, teachers, and news reporters everywhere said flying was impossible. Otto and his brother Gustav desperately wanted to prove them wrong, so they made their own wings and tried to take flight. The brothers quickly crashed, but this was just the beginning for Otto, who would spend the next 30 years of his life sketching, re-sketching, and building gliders. Over time, Otto’s flights got longer. His control got better. He learned the tricks and twists of the wind. His flights even began to draw crowds. By the time of his death at age 48, Otto had made more than 2,000 successful glider flights. He was the first person in history to spend this much time in the air, earning the title of the world’s first pilot and paving the way for future aviation pioneers.

There are so many little life moments to measure - and so many creative ways to measure them! How do you measure how long it takes to read a good book? Sure, you can use units of time, like minutes or hours . . . but you can also use your very own measurements: how many times you laugh or cry, how many pages you turn, or how many times you ask to read it again. And measuring a rainfall could mean using decibels of sound . . . or how many people you see opening umbrellas. This playful picture book introduces young readers to different units of measurement, then invites them to think of more creative ways to quantify the meaningful moments in their lives. The possibilities are as limitless as the imagination!