Books published by publisher Why So Special Press

What would you do if you were a kitty looking for a new home?In Lavalino Finds his Forever Home, a kitty named Lavalino is enjoying his life on the streets of Italy. He lives in a beautiful garden next to a church. He has many friends who feed him fish and milk. But then, one day, the rains come and our cold kitty goes on a search to find a family to call his own. I wrote my Lavalino book to explore a theme that is important to children: how to persevere when you feel like you don’t belong, or are struggling with a life challenge. I was inspired by a true story that is very close to me. My sister, Vicki, found and adopted an adorable kitten in Italy. The real-life Lavalino was a charming, clever cat with lots of character, and I had known for a long time that I wanted to create a series of kids' books inspired by Lavalino’s adventures.The world is a much smaller place than when I was growing up, and I wanted to write a book to give kids a fun, yet meaningful way to learn about interesting places and people. As an extra bonus, my book allows teachers and parents to work on some key terms in another language in a fun way. I am an education specialist, with a master's degree in education. In writing this story, I used my experience as a teacher as well as my understanding of human development and how kids learn. In my first book, it was important to me to tell a story that highlights the importance of persistence when met with a challenge, be it in learning or social situations. I’ve made Lavalino have a high sense of optimism in order to help children cultivate their own sense of perseverance and worth. I hope you love Lavalino as much as I do and that you follow along with us as he goes on further adventures in the “The Adventures of Lavalino” series.

Developed for the Air Force in the early 1950s as a next-generation interceptor following Convair's pioneering delta-wing F-102, the F-106 excelled in every aspect of the Air Defense Command mission. With its advanced Hughes radar system, Falcon air-to-air missiles, and a top speed in excess of Mach 2, the Delta Dart became known as "the ultimate interceptor," able to scramble, launch, find its targets, and blow them out of the sky. The 'Dart was also the lightest-weight aircraft ever powered by a Pratt & Whitney J75 turbojet. This book provides an insightful and in-depth look at the sixth member of the Air Force "Century Series" family of supersonic fighters. From initial concept through early flight test and development and into operational service, every facet of the F-106's career is examined and explained in comprehensive, yet easy-to-read text. All USAF Air Defense Command units that operated F-106s are covered, and aircraft markings and color schemes are included as well. The Convair F-106 remains to this day as one of the most successful military aircraft ever built. This book now gives the reader a thorough and meticulous reference source on the F-106 using excellent photographs and technical illustrations to tell the story of this history-making aircraft, while also providing valuable detailed information for modelers and historians.

Filling a void in major works on legendary U.S. Naval carrier-based jet aircraft, this book is the definitive work on the design, development, flight testing, and initial service history of the Chance Vought F-8 Crusader. Having become the Navy's first fully-operational supersonic aircraft, the F-8 went on to a colorful career during the Cuban Missile Crisis and then in the Vietnam War as a potent MiG-killer. During that conflict, the Crusader distinguished itself as one of the most historically significant aircraft of the Cold War era.The 12 detailed chapters in this book thoroughly cover every aspect of the F-8's design and development, from earliest Navy BuAir specs through mock-up, prototype, flight test, and carrier qualifications. Lavishly illustrated with high-quality original factory photos and technical illustrations, this book provides a behind-the-scenes look at America's proud aerospace industry in its heyday, when a jet fighter that launched from, and recovered on, an aircraft carrier achieved routine supersonic performance in combat.The Vought F-8 Crusader, in all its variants, remains to this day as one of the most successful military aircraft ever built. Detailed coverage of this aircraft's design and development, production, record flights, the XF8U-3 Super Crusader, significant NASA variants, and foreign operators augments the story of the F-8's development. In so doing, this book provides the vital "missing link" in the story of this legendary aircraft: the U.S. Navy's first supersonic jet fighter.

The photos in this edition are black and white. Some aircraft deserve a measure of homage based on their aesthetics; others rate merit for longevity; and some purely by their performance. The racy Douglas A-26 Invader, veteran of three U.S. wars, rests securely in all three categories. Nurtured by famed designer Ed Heinemann and his team at Douglas Aircraft, the A-26 had good genes from the start. And yet, reputation isn't everything. Teething troubles with A-26 production early in its career caused delays that brought the ire of United States Army Air Forces chief Henry "Hap" Arnold. A couple decades later, wing failures over southeast Asia prompted concerns about strength, and gave rise to a beefy, much-modified variant, the K-model, prepared by On Mark Engineering.