Reach for the Sky: How Two Brothers Built an Airplane in Chinatown

Written by Evelyn Sue Wong

Illustrated by  Sarah Ang

Plumleaf Press

978-1069093554

40 pp.

Ages 6–9

Releases August 21, 2025 

 

For most people in the 1930s, airline travel was the stuff of dreams. It was expensive and pretty much limited to those in the military, the very rich, or businessmen. For Robert Wong, even purchasing his much-loved model airplane kits only happened because he saved his lunch money. But those kits were his first steps to making his aviation dreams come true.

From Reach for the Sky, written by Evelyn Sue Wong, illustrated by Sarah Ang

Robert would build model airplanes and, with his younger brother Tommy in tow, would fly them until they ended in broken wings. But he kept building them until the toy department manager offered him free kits if he built them at the store. The two brothers enjoyed flying these models, but this was just a prelude to the dream: flying real planes.

From Reach for the Sky, written by Evelyn Sue Wong, illustrated by Sarah Ang

Robert studied books about flying and completed an aviator's course but, before he could attend aviation college, he would need a pilot's license which would require many hours of flying. His solution: build his own plane. Using the plans for the Pietenpol Sky Scout, Robert along with Tommy scouted for the materials he would need to adapt and enlisted the help of his family. When his wooden-framed fuselage with wings stretched twenty-seven feet tip to tip and covered with fabric was completed, his flying instructor took it out for a spin. Though the instructor was pleased with the result, there were some changes that needed to be made. With the help of some experts in aviation and a lot of work, two years after the brothers started this project, Robert took to the skies in a plane that they had built themselves.

From Reach for the Sky, written by Evelyn Sue Wong, illustrated by Sarah Ang

This story is amazing for a number of reasons. One, it is a true story about Robert and Tommy Wong. Secondly, what they were able to accomplish with limited resources at a time when aviation was not a common practice for the majority of the population is extraordinary. Finally, building their own plane was one step in the brothers' careers which led them to further study, work with the air force, opening a civilian flying school, and being inducted as the first Asian Canadians into the Canadian Aviation Hall of Fame. Their story, told by Robert's daughter Evelyn Sue Wong, is a testament to not just reaching for the sky but following a passion with determination and perseverance. Evelyn Sue Wong tells their story as an illustrated biography and includes photographs of the brothers, family, and more to not just inspire others to chase their dreams, but to encourage them that, with hard work and support, success is possible.

From Reach for the Sky, written by Evelyn Sue Wong, illustrated by Sarah Ang

Reach for the Sky is illustrated by Singapore's Sarah Ang, who uses Chinese ink and watercolours in a style comparable to traditional Chinese art of landscapes and street scenes. While Sarah Ang emphasizes the logistics of planes and flight and the efforts of the two brothers, there is still a leaning towards the spirit of their work and the promise that much can be accomplished with heart and tenacity.

 

As an illustrated biography, Reach for the Sky honours two Chinese brothers who dreamed of flying in 1930s BC and achieved greatness beyond building a plane. Their story is one of aviation greatness and will inspire those who think they can't or shouldn't or won't be able to do what they aspire to do because of prejudices or limitations in opportunities. Robert and Tommy Wong pursued the almost unimaginable, and others can try too.

A Song for the Paper Children

Written by Christopher Tse

Plumleaf Press

978-1-7388-9828-2

52 pp.

Ages 9+

May 2024

 

 

A Song for the Paper Children
is a tribute to early Chinese immigrants, some of whom came to Canada after the Chinese Exclusion Act was passed to severely restrict their entry. These “paper children,” courageous men and women, endured legislated racism, financial hardship, and frequent acts of violence and discrimination, but they followed in the footsteps of their predecessors to lay the foundation for a Chinese Canadian community today that is vibrant, resilient, and here to stay.

 

 

With this preface, slam poetry artist Christopher Tse introduces the background for his poem and book about the stories of Chinese Canadians who endured and thrived under challenging circumstances of racism, economic hardship, exclusionary government policies and more. Christopher Tse tells their stories with admiration and respect, and makes it a true song, a composition of historical relevance.

From A Song for the Paper Children, by Christopher Tse

Christopher Tse's poem is a tribute to his own family. He remembers his Gung Gung (maternal grandfather) and relatives toiling in his Quebec restaurant, "his smile tired bright" (p. 12). How did they manage knowing that they were not wanted, that they were not meant to succeed or put down roots?

We were never meant to make home from ashes, 

to find kin from the masses. (p. 17)

From A Song for the Paper Children, by Christopher Tse

Peppering his poem with photographs of people and documents as well as drawings, Christopher Tse instills a gravitas to his works which are already deeply evocative of time and place. Surprisingly, much of it comes from asking questions. How did they feel? What did they think? What was the cost? Are they heard now? Christopher Tse makes the reader think and feel. It is the feeling of heartbreak for mistreatment and abuses, of awe for resilience and endurance, and of astonishment that these stories happened.

From A Song for the Paper Children, by Christopher Tse

There is hurting in much of A Song for the Paper Children but that hurting is always bonded to courage and tenacity. From generations who witnessed anti-Asian signage to families destroyed by exclusionary practices like the Chinese Head Tax and the Chinese Immigration Act, there has been discrimination against and negation of their contributions  by virtue of their heritage alone. With A Song for the Paper Children, Christopher Tse gives voice of empowerment through his recognition of Chinese Canadians past and present and applauds them.

From A Song for the Paper Children, by Christopher Tse

I hope that there will be an opportunity for Christopher Tse to record a performance of A Song for the Paper Children. There is an obvious emphasis or tone to his poem that is evident in the choice of font and colour as well as placement of text, but I suspect that the cadence of a performance would be compelling. For his words and their stories to come together in one dynamic presentation would be another step forward towards reconciliation.

Endgame: The Secret Force 136

Written by Catherine Little

Illustrated by Sean Huang

Plumleaf Press

978-1-738898244

32 pp.

All ages

October 2023

This is a picture book. But Endgame: The Secret Force 136 is more than a picture book. It's a story within a story with another story. There's an intergenerational story which segues into a story from World War II that is framed by the playing of a game of Chinese chess that is depicted as an actual battle in illustrations. It may sound complicated and yet it all works.

From Endgame: The Secret Force 136, written by Catherine Little, illus. by Sean Huang

A child regularly visits his great-grandfather Tai Gong with his mother and is gifted with his elder's Chinese chess set on his tenth birthday. The boy enjoys learning the new game, called Xiangqi or elephant chess, with its two battling armies of generals, advisers, elephants, chariots, cannons, and soldiers, but he can never win over his Tai Gong.  Tai Gong advises him:

“You have to plan ahead, Alex,” Tai Gong replied. “As I have told you many times, slow down and plan your strategies. Focus on the big picture.”

From Endgame: The Secret Force 136, written by Catherine Little, illus. by Sean Huang

During one visit, Tai Gong shows Alex some faded photographs he keeps in his wallet. The photos show groups of men, some in uniforms, and Tai Gong says he needs to tell Alex about the stories of these photos. As he recalls discrimination he and other Chinese Canadians endured, many still felt the need to fight for their country during World War II. Though they were rejected initially, when the enemy occupied much of Southeast Asia, they were accepted into Secret Force 136 for special missions. And though he speaks of dangerous situations, Alex's tai gong is convinced it was all worth it because of the progress that happened upon their return. It was all about the endgame, something he hopes to impart to his great-grandson as they play Xiangqi.

From Endgame: The Secret Force 136, written by Catherine Little, illus. by Sean Huang

There is a history lesson in Endgame: The Secret Force 136, and Catherine Little provides extensive historical notes about the racial discrimination Chinese Canadians faced, about the Secret Force 136 including bios of several of the team's members, and about the impact of the Chinese Canadian war effort. While her focus may be on the history, as shared through a boy's interaction with his great-grandfather, she also embeds in the playing of the ancient game of Xiangqi which she also highlights in her appended notes. This could have been a very dry exposé of a WWII special operation but by tying the story of the strategies employed in a game of chess with the memories of an elderly Chinese Canadian, Catherine Little makes the story more personal. This is his story, and he speaks of it because he knows of it. And he learned valuable lessons for war but also for life but now he can share that strategizing so that his great-grandson may also benefit.

The realism of the child's interactions with his great-grandfather and his Tai Gong's experiences are depicted well in the lush paintings of Saskatchewan artist Sean Huang who takes readers from a contemporary setting to that of World War II and also to a time when warriors wore lamellar armour and carried spears. Because the story is one based in history, it's appropriate that Sean Huang maintains that realism so that a young reader might visualize their own interaction with a grandparent, or asking about the past, or looking to understand who is in photos. (The illustration of the Tai Gong's hands and the photographs is so lifelike that it will be immediately familiar and evocative of age and nostalgia.)

Players of chess and other games often speak of the endgame as the final stage and Alex learns about the perspective he must take to have a successful endgame. But his Tai Gong knows that there are many endgames in life, those final steps that can lead to success, to progress, and to resolution. His life has had many endgames and while they may or may not have always felt triumphant, they were surely noteworthy, if not for him then for others.