Orville Wright- The Art Critic, Part II

In my post, "Orville Wright- The Art Critic", I shared how Orville Wright used to tease his grand-nephew Milton Wright about modern art. Orville was not a fan, though he did like Milton's artwork, which I discussed in my post, "Orville Wright's grand-nephew Milton Wright Jr.". What would Orville have thought about some of the so called art currently being created through AI programs? This post continues the discussion in Orville Wright- The Art Critic, Part II.

Is it ok to judge a book by it's cover? Generally not, so I'll simply judge the cover and not the book. I haven't read any of these children's books, and hopefully their contents are not as inaccurate as their cover depictions of the Wright Brothers. I'm not bothered by animated characters of the Wrights, but when the animation doesn't resemble them in any way, and incorrectly shows their invention, I don't find that helpful in representing the history.

This self-published book by Farhad Hemmatkhah Kalibar can be purchased for just $28.10 from London, United Kingdom, through E-bay. Orville shaved off his mustache, Wilbur got his teeth fixed, they both have gray hair, and they're posing by a plane they didn't invent, with a broken propeller.  

Maybe next time, invest a few bucks in a human artist in lieu of an AI program.

 

 

The German language version is also available, self-published book by Farhad Hemmatkhah Kalibar. Looks like someone added a propeller blade but didn't bother to space them correctly. Maybe one blade broke off hitting one of those kites AI put floating in the air.

 

Wilbur had a hair transplant, but kept his gray hair since he was 4 years older than Orville. You have to be able to tell them apart somehow.

 

  

Yet another book for kids aged 7-15. At least kids aged less than 7, and over 15 will understand the Wright Brothers invented a flying machine and not a winged go-cart for the beach. 

 

Amazing facts for curious minds showing the Wright Brothers were actually twins (even though they were born 4 years apart), and invented some goofy rolling uncontrollable bi-winged play-toy thingy for fun on the beach.

 

 

This next book, I'm really confused. I'm assuming the men on the cover are supposed to be the Wright Brothers. Only Orville wore a mustache, and Wilbur did not have much hair, nor a comb over. Why???

First in Flight, The Story of The Wright Brothers For Kids, by Sarah Michaels, published in 2024, 134 pages, available on E-bay for $35.15. Maybe the guys on the cover are elementary school teachers? 

 

 

As mentioned, I'm not opposed to animated characters of the Wright Brothers. But the animation should at least include some of the physical characteristics of Wilbur and Orville. Some examples follow that both Wilbur and Orville would have found acceptable: 

 

The Story of The Wright Brothers, Annette Whipple, 2020. At least Wilbur and Orville are recognizable on this cover. The art appears to have been performed by an actual artist and not a mindless AI program.

The Wright Brothers and the Airplane, by Xavier Niz, and Illustrated by Steve Erwin, Keith Williams, and Charles Barnett III. Published in 2007, before the age of AI. Not perfect, as the launching rail is shown running down a sand dune in lieu of on level ground, but the cover art is nice.

 

 

Who Were The Wright Brothers? by James Buckley Jr., published 2014. Again, prior to the AI age, the artist represents the Wrights such that you can recognize which is Wilbur and which is Orville, and in a goofy way kids would enjoy.

 

 

The Wondrous Whirligig, by Andrew Glass, published 2003. Wilbur and Orville depicted as young kids show Wilbur, the older brother on left, and Orv, the younger having fun with the flying "bat" their father gave to them. True, their faces don't look much like they did at that age, but isn't it refreshing they aren't shown as twins, and the art work is really nice.

It would be fun to obtain a copy of each of these books and compare how well (or not) the history is presented in each. Perhaps a topic for a future post. Can a book at times, be judged by it's cover?
 

Copyright 2026-Getting the Story Wright  

 

Related Posts: 

Orville Wright- The Art Critic

 

Orville Wright's grand-nephew Milton Wright Jr.