Skip to main content

If You Like... Hot Air Balloons

Hot air balloons have always seemed like a fascinating and fun way to travel. Amazing aerial views, like those from an airplane window, mix with the slower pace of a train ride to let you take in the rolling hills and wispy clouds. If you're also interested in reading stories about floating among the clouds, try these books!

By Barbara O'Connor
New York: Farrar Straus Giroux, 2021. Fiction. 234 pages.

Walter, a boy grieving the loss of his older brother, makes friends with his talkative new neighbor Posey. While the two of them are out catching minnows together in the creek, they meet an injured balloonist who enlists their help in recovering his damaged hot air balloon so that he can win an upcoming hot air balloon race. 

Written by Kristen Fulton
Illustrated by Torben Kuhlmann
San Francisco, CA: Chronicle Books LLC, 2020. Informational.

This informational book tells the true story of one family's escape from East Germany over the Berlin Wall using a handmade hot air balloon. 

By Matt Phelan
New York: Greenwillow Books, 2022. Fiction. 221 pages.

Inspired by the first hot air balloon flight (which involved a sheep, and rooster, and a duck) this historical fiction adventure sees the titular animals acting as spies to aid chĆ¢teau caretaker Emile in heroically defending the drawings and inventions of Benjamin Franklin. The animals adventure across 18th-century France to stop a plot to crown an evil count the King of America.

Written by Sue Ganz-Schmitt
Illustrated by Iacopo Bruno
New York: Calkins Creek, 2024. Biography. 

Mary Myers was fascinated by hot air balloons, and along with her husband, she began designing and manufacturing her own hot air balloons that the couple then used to research weather conditions and set records in balloon flights.

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

An ABC of Flowers

An ABC of Flowers   by Jutta Hilpuesch New York, NY : Philomel Books, [2019] It turns out there really is a flower for every letter. This sweet book has a photograph of every flower and  a sweet cartoon illustration to go along with it. All your favorite flowers are here (forget-me-nots, mums, and sunflowers), along with some you probably haven't heard of before (billy ball, kalanchoe, xeranthemum?).  This is a perfect book for reading together, and readers of any age will enjoy every page. Don't miss this great springtime alphabet book. 

Review: The House with Nobody in It

  The House with Nobody in It By Jon Klassen Somerville, Massachusetts: Candlewick Press, 2026. Board Book.  The House with Nobody in It may very well be your child's first ghost story. The simple story begins with the narrator explaining to readers that this house used to have someone in it, but there is now nobody there. Toddlers and preschoolers will love contradicting this statement as they peek through the house that the board book forms, as the ghost is clearly visible throughout the story.  This unique and imaginative board book is the perfect thing to read during Halloween season! The book itself plays into the experience, with cutouts and clever turns that make it especially interactive. The illustrations are superb, simple but well crafted, adding to the story's theme as a whole. This will likely be a book that gets many repeat reads!

Display: Teddy's Top Picks

  Bear in the Air Written by Susan Meyers Illustrated by Amy Bates New York : Abrams Books for Young Readers, 2010. Picture book. When a teddy bear is lost by the child who loves him, the bear begins an adventurous journey to get back home again. -- Editor Blanket and Bear, A Remarkable Pair Written by L.J.R. Kelly Illustrated by Yoko Tanaka New York : G.P. Putnam's Sons, 2013. Picture book. When a boy loses his beloved blanket and bear, they travel a great distance to make their way back to him. -- Editor A Bear to Share Written by Jessica Alba, Nora Weinstein, and Kelly Patricof  Illustrated by Alicia Mas New York, NY : Baby2Baby/Harper, an imprint of HarperCollinsPublishers, 2021. Picture book. Tiana loves her teddy bear, Bach. She doesn't mind that he's a little worn and somewhat torn. So when her mother suggests she make room for a new bear, Tiana can't believe her ears! Will Tiana have to lose the one bear she really loves? Or will she find room in her heart for t...