Bittersweet: Based on the True Tale of the Berlin Candy Bombers

Soar into the tender true story of how one airman inspired a movement by airdropping little parachutes of candy to kids trapped in occupied Berlin in this nonfiction picture book ode to everyday acts of kindness.

How far can a small kindness reach? How much of a difference can two sticks of gum make?

Colonel Gail Halvorsen was a pilot in the United States Air Force delivering supplies to West Berlin when it was blockaded by the Soviets. One day he approached children gathered outside the airport with two leftover sticks of gum. One day, he approached children gathered outside the airport with two leftover sticks of gum. After sharing the gum through the fence, he watched in surprise as they passed the wrappers around so everyone could sniff the minty smell.

Inspired by the children's kindness and sympathetic to the way blockades were cutting off their access to simple pleasures like sweets, Halvorsen began airdropping candy, using his own rations and wiggling his wings to alert the kids below that it was time for treats. When a package of chocolates literally dropped on a reporter's head, news quickly spread of "Uncle Wiggly Wings" or "the Berlin Candy Bomber."

Soon, Halvorsen's Operation Little Vittles--born of one man's courage to be kind--grew to include other pilots and donations from American families and ended up dropping over twenty tons of candy to the children of war-torn Berlin.

Author: Christy Mandin
Publisher: Margaret K. McElderry Books
Published: 10/28/2025
Pages: 40
Binding Type: Hardcover
Weight: 0.90lbs
Size: 11.50h x 8.70w x 0.50d
ISBN: 9781665960588
Audience: Ages 4-8


Review Citation(s):
Kirkus Reviews 07/15/2025
School Library Journal 09/26/2025 pg. 1

About the Author
Christy Mandin is a children's book author, illustrator, and surface designer. She grew up in rural Georgia and credits her country life of solitude as an only child for much of her love of books and nature. You'll find this love of nature along with nostalgia, magic, and whimsy woven into the fabric of her art. Christy works mostly digitally now that she has tiny humans underfoot. When she isn't drawing, she can be found quilting, gardening, or cozied up with a cup of coffee and the latest period drama on BBC or PBS. Christy currently lives in Georgia with her husband, four children, and a menagerie of animals and insects. Visit her at ChristyMandin.com.