A voyage in the clouds : the (mostly) true story of the first international flight by balloon in 1785

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Title:

A voyage in the clouds : the (mostly) true story of the first international flight by balloon in 1785

Author:

Olshan, Matthew, author.

Blackall, Sophie, illustrator.

Summary:

Dr. John Jeffries and his pilot, Jean-Pierre Blanchard, each want to be the first man to fly from one country to another, across the English Channel. There's only one problem: they can't stand each other! Inspired by the true story of the first international flight.

Audience:

Elementary Grade

570 Lexile

General Note:

"Margaret Ferguson books."

Edition:

First edition.

Physical Description:

1 volume (unpaged) : color illustrations ; 29 cm

Genre:

Picture books.

Personal Subject:

Jeffries, John, 1745-1819-Juvenile fiction.

Blanchard, Jean-Pierre, 1753-1809-Juvenile fiction.

Subject Term:

Ballooning -- Juvenile fiction.

Hot air balloons -- Juvenile fiction.

Author(s):

Blackall, Sophie,

Publisher:

Farrar, Straus, Giroux,

Electronic Access:

Cover image

Publication Date:

2016

ISBN:

9780374329549

Publication Information:

New York : Farrar, Straus, Giroux, 2016.

Call Number:

P OLSHAN

Holds: Copies:

Available:*

Item Barcode	Collection	Call Number	Status	Item Holds
33607003216812	Picture Books	OLSHAN	Searching... Unknown	Searching... Unavailable

Bound With These Titles

On Order

Summary

In the year and a half since the flight of the first manned balloon in 1783, an Italian has flown, a Scot has flown, a woman has flown, even a sheep has flown. But no one has flown from one country to another. John Jeffries, an Englishman, and his pilot, Jean-Pierre Blanchard, a Frenchman, want to be the first. On January 7, 1785, they set out to cross the English Channel to France in a balloon. All seemed to be going fine, until Jeffries decides the balloon looks too fat and adjusts the air valve--how hard could it be? Too bad he drops the wrench over the side of the aerial car. With no way to adjust the valve, the balloon begins to sink. Jeffries and Blanchard throw as much as they can overboard--until there is nothing left, not even their clothes. Luckily, they come up with a clever (and surprising) solution that saves the day. A VOYAGE IN THE CLOUDS from Matthew Olshan and Sophie Blackall is a journey that will keep kids laughing the whole way.
A Margaret Ferguson Book

Author Notes

Matthew Olshan is author of the critically acclaimed picture book The Mighty Lalouche , also illustrated by Sophie Blackall, as well as the adult novel Marshlands . He lives in Baltimore, Maryland.

Sophie Blackall is the author and/or illustrator of many acclaimed picture books, including The Baby Tree , and the adult book Missed Connections . She lives in Brooklyn, New York.

Reviews (2)

School Library Journal Review

K-Gr 3-One remarkable milestone on the path to flight was the first manned balloon trip, which occurred in 1783. Up to that point, no one had accomplished a trip between countries, so Dr. John Jeffries (English) and Jean-Pierre Blanchard (French) decided to be the first. Jeffries and Blanchard allowed their competitive spirit to come between them until the trip had a few precarious moments; once they faced possible disaster, they quickly began working as a team to successfully cross the English Channel into France. The illustrations vary from traditional to graphic novel-style at points, using panels and dialogue balloons. Olshan establishes suspense as the two encounter problems and danger during their voyage, and children will want to keep reading and learning more about this historic trip. An author's note discusses the true details incorporated in the story and explains the creative license taken. VERDICT A delightful tale that will captivate elementary students with comedy, suspense, and beautiful illustrations.-April Sanders, Spring Hill College, Mobile, AL © Copyright 2016. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

Publisher's Weekly Review

The team behind the The Mighty Lalouche (2013) recounts the first international balloon journey, an expedition across the English Channel undertaken by a British doctor named Jeffries and a French balloonist named Blanchard in 1785. Tension arises even before the balloon leaves the ground as Jeffries discovers that Blanchard is plotting to exclude him from the trip. The two men cold-shoulder each other as the journey gets underway, but when the balloon starts to lose altitude, Blanchard's heroism turns them into friends and allies. (They're in their bloomers at the time, and Olshan keeps their rapprochement from getting too sentimental with a hilarious peeing scene.) The baroque ornamentation and carefully lettered speech balloons of Blackall's spreads recall the work of George Cruikshank; like him, she has a gift for revealing that people dressed in petticoats and tricorne hats are just as human as the rest of us. With humor that's never snarky, Olshun reminds readers that, sometimes, the challenge adventurers must overcome is not the elements; it's their own vanity. Ages 4-8. Author's agent: Seth Fishman, Gernert Company. Illustrator's agent: Nancy Gallt, Gallt & Zacker Literary. (Oct.) © Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.