Review by Booklist Review
Henry details the activities of two brothers, Joseph-Michael and Jacques-Étienne Montgolfier, inventors of the hot-air balloon. Describing Joseph as dreamy, the author imagines that he noticed the lifting properties of hot air while gazing into a fireplace, inspiring the balloon that his practical brother Étienne helped him to build. Henry describes their early attempts (involving a small taffeta box held over a flame), larger trials (entailing a cloth bag suspended over an open fire), and a public demonstration for King Louis XVI of France that carried aloft a rooster, a duck, and a sheep. Henry's lush, digital artwork depicts the splendors of eighteenth-century France, particularly those found in the clothing, architecture, and household furnishings. The style is mostly realistic, with somewhat exaggerated facial features for the three animals, which appear in most spreads, following the story's every action. Concluded with an author's note, further reading, and an extensive time line of the history of flight (up to the present), this makes a good addition to units on aviation and inventors.--Weisman, Kay Copyright 2010 Booklist
From Booklist, Copyright (c) American Library Association. Used with permission.
Review by Horn Book Review
In eighteenth-century France, "dreamer" Joseph-Michel Montgolfier and his more practical brother, Jacques-Etienne, used their complementary skills to invent and launch the first hot-air balloon. Playful digital paintings depict the invention's intricate details and capture the remarkable flight over verdant countryside and Louis XVI's Versailles. An attractive and informative introduction to these pioneers of flight. Reading list, timeline. Bib. (c) Copyright 2019. The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
(c) Copyright The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Review by Kirkus Book Review
Designer Henry's authorial debut explores the 18th-century invention of the hot air balloon. Joseph-Michel Montgolfier, a Frenchman, had always found the mechanics of the world fascinating. One day, some of his papers drifted into his fireplace, and to his surprise, he noticed that the smaller pieces were rising above the flames. He realized that if the gas released by the fire had the ability to lift paper, it might be able to carry other things as well. He set about testing his hypothesis, and, with his brother Jacques-tienne, he crafted "the world's first flying machine": a hot air balloon they called an "aerostat." When Louis XVI got wind of their invention, he requested a demonstration, and the brothers set about planning, fitting the outside of their balloon with ornamentations fit for a king. When the day arrived, they famously sent a rooster, a duck, and a sheep up in their balloon, hosting for both the king and many French citizens the first-ever public demonstration of a hot air balloon. Henry's narration is straightforward but engaging. The illustrations, rendered digitally, use a slightly dusty color palette that combines with such design elements as ornate golden frames in closing text boxes to nicely evoke the setting and era (all humans depicted are white). Backmatter includes a bibliography, list of further reading, and timeline of flight.While perhaps not the most boisterous telling of this tale, it will nevertheless sweep readers away. (Informational picture book. 5-10) Copyright Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
