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The Amazing Air Balloon
Long before the Wright brothers made their famous flight, a young boy from Baltimore became the first person ever to travel by air-in a hot-air balloon. One of the most exciting ways to fly, the air balloon was invented in 1783, although it would take another ten years before a balloon was built that was ready to carry human passengers. Aviation aficionados and indeed all readers will be fascinated by this time before airplanes when an ordinary boy experienced what seemed like an impossible dream-to fly.
Jean Van Leeuwen turns this remarkable story into a captivating read and also includes a detailed historical note, while Marco Ventura's lovely oil paintings perfectly evoke eighteenth-century Colonial America.
Jean Van Leeuwen turns this remarkable story into a captivating read and also includes a detailed historical note, while Marco Ventura's lovely oil paintings perfectly evoke eighteenth-century Colonial America.
32 pages, Hardcover
First published March 10, 2003
About the author
Jean Van Leeuwen
94 books34 followersJean Van Leeuwen was an American children's book author, of over forty children's books, including the Oliver Pig series, and Bound for Oregon.
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Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews
September 7, 2019
This book is set after the war. A boy that lost his father while he fought with Washington and later orphaned when his mother got ill. He now was an apprentice blacksmith because of how life was laid out while watching a man be persistent to get a balloon in the air. He dream came true when he became the first American to ride in the air. He viewed the world below him. It would be a great writing assignment to have the children right about what they would see from the air in a hot air balloon.
November 8, 2009
Grade/Interest Level: 2-4
Long before the Wright brothers made their famous flight, a young boy from Baltimore became the first person ever to travel by air-in a hot-air balloon. One of the most exciting ways to fly, the air balloon was invented in 1783, although it would take another ten years before a balloon was built that was ready to carry human passengers.
This historical fiction account of the first American hot-air balloon passenger is based on the author's research, and is written in a picture book format. Though it uses quite realistic, oil pastel illustrations, I'm not sure that they would truly appeal to many young children or capture their imaginations. The author touches on a less-idealized aspect of life in the 18th century as he creates an orphaned main character who is bound against his will as an apprentice. Although the "Author's Note" description of how he used newspaper clippings of the first flight as inspiration for this tale is quite interesting, the actual product seemed too text-heavy, and just failed to keep my interest. I would only potentially use this story with students to demonstrate how an author can write historical fiction by creating characters and backstories based off periodicals of the time.
Long before the Wright brothers made their famous flight, a young boy from Baltimore became the first person ever to travel by air-in a hot-air balloon. One of the most exciting ways to fly, the air balloon was invented in 1783, although it would take another ten years before a balloon was built that was ready to carry human passengers.
This historical fiction account of the first American hot-air balloon passenger is based on the author's research, and is written in a picture book format. Though it uses quite realistic, oil pastel illustrations, I'm not sure that they would truly appeal to many young children or capture their imaginations. The author touches on a less-idealized aspect of life in the 18th century as he creates an orphaned main character who is bound against his will as an apprentice. Although the "Author's Note" description of how he used newspaper clippings of the first flight as inspiration for this tale is quite interesting, the actual product seemed too text-heavy, and just failed to keep my interest. I would only potentially use this story with students to demonstrate how an author can write historical fiction by creating characters and backstories based off periodicals of the time.
December 30, 2011
A fictionalised life of the 13 year old boy who first rode in a hot air balloon in Baltimore, America. The painted illustrations are meticulous in detail and realistic in style, making them easy to see and discuss with children. The text is a little long though and will be best used in a classroom of middle primary schoolers about not only the amazement that floating up in a balloon would have been, but (for Americans), a little of what it was like to be an early settler.
October 19, 2008
the girls weren't interested enough
June 19, 2012
An interesting story complete with beautiful illustrations that tells the story of the first air balloon.
October 23, 2020
I really enjoyed this story. One of my goals is to ride in a balloon and now that I have read this story, I really want to go for a lift into the sky.
June 18, 2015
Illustrations mostly good, but realistic faces are a problem for this artist.
Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews