A Voyage in the Clouds: The (Mostly) True Story of the First International Flight by Balloon in 1785
- Downloads：7772
- Type：Epub+TxT+PDF+Mobi
- Create Date：2021-03-31 13:17:06
- Update Date：2025-09-06
- Status：finish
- Author：Matthew Olshan
- ISBN：0374329540
- Environment：PC/Android/iPhone/iPad/Kindle
- Download
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 is a journey that will keep kids laughing the whole way。
A Margaret Ferguson Book
A Margaret Ferguson Book
Reviews
Ender
，
A humorous look at a historical event。 I have I four stars only because it was a little too negative towards the Frenchman。 There’s some funny cross-cultural perceptions throughout。
Alicia Klepeis
，
Enjoyed this story about a historic balloon ride across the English Channel in 1775。 The illustrations were funny and the use of speech bubbles was too。
Abigail Pendegrass
，
Good story， but lacking lettersThis is a super cute book。 The story is fairly accurate to historical events， and the illustrations are fabulous; but for some reason， there are specific letters missing throughout the book。 Any combination of “fl” and “fi” have been removed making the telling of the story somewhat challenging。
Abigail
，
In this fictionalized work of picture-book history， author Matthew Olshan and illustrator Sophie Blackall， who previously teamed up on The Mighty Lalouche， explore the first international flight in human history。 Following upon the first manned balloon flight in 1783， Englishman Dr。 John Jeffries and Frenchman Mons。 Jean-Pierre Blanchard set out in a balloon on January 7th， 1785， hoping to cross the English Channel。 Their journey is not without incident， and the pair， none-too-friendly to be In this fictionalized work of picture-book history， author Matthew Olshan and illustrator Sophie Blackall， who previously teamed up on The Mighty Lalouche， explore the first international flight in human history。 Following upon the first manned balloon flight in 1783， Englishman Dr。 John Jeffries and Frenchman Mons。 Jean-Pierre Blanchard set out in a balloon on January 7th， 1785， hoping to cross the English Channel。 Their journey is not without incident， and the pair， none-too-friendly to begin with， find that they must work together if they are to survive。 Jettisoning everything they can， they eventually find they must take drastic （and humorous！） action if they are to stay afloat。。。I had the pleasure of seeing illustrator Sophie Blackall read A Voyage in the Clouds aloud to a group of grade-school children， and can attest to the fact that young readers and listeners appreciate the humor of the strategy that Jeffries and Blanchard must employ to keep afloat。 The fact that they must （view spoiler）[urinate （hide spoiler）] over the side of the basket is made all the more amusing for being true， something the afterword confirms。 For my part， I also enjoyed the humor in the often snarky back-and-forth exchanges between the doctor and his French pilot， and thought that the watercolor artwork - as is to be expected in a book from Sophie Blackall - was absolutely gorgeous！ Recommended to anyone looking for children's stories that are both informative and entertaining， or who enjoy tales of aviation pioneers。 。。。more
Jo Oehrlein
，
A quite silly story （the adults do NOT come across as very mature） about one of the early balloon flights -- one that made it from England to France。There are some parts that are fictionalized， but it is strongly based in fact。
Jessie
，
I appreciated the clarity in the back matter here about "mostly true。" I appreciated the clarity in the back matter here about "mostly true。" 。。。more
Maeve
，
First international flight by balloon over the English Channel。 Meh。
Shiloah
，
More historical fiction for kids than biography。 It was a little too goofy for my tastes with the men in their old fashioned underwear in several pages。
Pam
，
Olshan takes the reader through the first balloon flight across the English Channel from England to France by Jean-Pierre Blanchard and Dr。 John Jeffries。Detailed illustrations support the text。Partially told in captions by those speaking。
Amy Layton
，
What a fun （and mostly true） book！ Olshan and Blackall's book discusses a rarely talked about but an important and fun event: the first international balloon ride！ With Olshan's intriguing and explanatory narrative as well as Blackall's highlighting illustrations， this book is fun for all to both read and learn something new。 There's a lot of attention to detail both obviously and subtly， making it great for readers in grades 2-4。Review cross-listed here！ What a fun （and mostly true） book！ Olshan and Blackall's book discusses a rarely talked about but an important and fun event: the first international balloon ride！ With Olshan's intriguing and explanatory narrative as well as Blackall's highlighting illustrations， this book is fun for all to both read and learn something new。 There's a lot of attention to detail both obviously and subtly， making it great for readers in grades 2-4。Review cross-listed here！ 。。。more
Aimee Fuhrman
，
My son giggled through this slightly irreverent retelling of this historic balloon flight across the English Channel。 The mostly accurate account was both informative and entertaining。
Lynn Davidson
，
An interesting story based on fact， of a daring and brave voyage by air balloon in its early days in the 1700's。 Funny moments。 An interesting story based on fact， of a daring and brave voyage by air balloon in its early days in the 1700's。 Funny moments。 。。。more
Sebastian Song
，
A celebration of man's willingness to explore and conquer his fears。 To infinity and beyond。 A celebration of man's willingness to explore and conquer his fears。 To infinity and beyond。 。。。more
Jennifer Burke
，
This funny fictional story talks about the first hot air balloon ride from England to France。 The two men riding in it did not get along until certain circumstances forced them to work together。 Tags: Hot air balloon， team work， dogs
Kelly
，
There's a good lesson here about working together to solve a problem。 The story is interesting， and illustrations are nice。 There's a good lesson here about working together to solve a problem。 The story is interesting， and illustrations are nice。 。。。more
Grant
，
A fun telling of the story of the first balloon flight from England to France。
Erin
，
John and Jean-Pierre take their dogs， Henry and Henri， on the first balloon flight from one country to another going over the English Channel。 The two gentlemen did not get along very well， which makes for interesting copy。 It's a bit long for a regular storytime， but school age kids would enjoy it。 John and Jean-Pierre take their dogs， Henry and Henri， on the first balloon flight from one country to another going over the English Channel。 The two gentlemen did not get along very well， which makes for interesting copy。 It's a bit long for a regular storytime， but school age kids would enjoy it。 。。。more
Carrie Gelson
，
Very amusing
Melissa Bennrup
，
Such a fun story， wittily told and l so enjoy seeing that look the children get on their faces when l can tell them "It really happened！" "Really？？" "Yes really"！ Such a fun story， wittily told and l so enjoy seeing that look the children get on their faces when l can tell them "It really happened！" "Really？？" "Yes really"！ 。。。more
Mel Ann
，
A funny book mixed with some true facts for education。
Anna
，
In this delightful romp of a semi-nonfictional picture book， a French pilot and English doctor embark for a journey across La Manche， or the English Channel， depending on who’s speaking， bickering their way though bear disaster and into friendship。 The illustrations are lovely in their blend of watercolor， colored pencil and ink， and， with their occasional cartoon strips of action and speech bubbles， complement the text’s witty touches with details such as the English and French bulldogs the men In this delightful romp of a semi-nonfictional picture book， a French pilot and English doctor embark for a journey across La Manche， or the English Channel， depending on who’s speaking， bickering their way though bear disaster and into friendship。 The illustrations are lovely in their blend of watercolor， colored pencil and ink， and， with their occasional cartoon strips of action and speech bubbles， complement the text’s witty touches with details such as the English and French bulldogs the men have brought along。 Reader-alouders get extra points if you speak in the accents， and you might have to in order to keep the two men apart if you’re reading this to a group。 You may also want to introduce the characters as they appear， since the book inexplicably fails to do so。 I think that the ideal audience is between 3rd and 5th grade。 After careful consideration， I sadly decided that my 2nd graders couldn’t handle the “evacuation” scene and carefully read around it。This is not the most informative informational book I’ve ever read， but the author’s note elaborates on the fictional and factual elements of the story。 It paired very well with The Mighty Lalouche， written by the same author-illustrator team （side note: would somebody give these two an early reader series about a flying postman？？ Please？） and we discussed the difference between fictionalized history and historical fiction， and how to infer these distinctions from author’s notes。 This book is neither deep nor touching， and it only skims the surface of its theme of friendship formed through adversity， but it is FUN and sometimes we all need a little masterfully-executed levity。 。。。more
Viviane Elbee
，
The kids and I enjoyed this book - these two grown-ups will fall into the ocean if they don’t “lighten” the load the hot air balloon is carrying - so they throw everything overboard - and end up wearing only underwear！ （That detail definitely pleased the kids）。The fact that this is based on a true story concerning the first hot air balloon flight from England to France makes it all the more delightful。The backmatter explains the “untrue” parts - for example， most likely the two dogs were not onb The kids and I enjoyed this book - these two grown-ups will fall into the ocean if they don’t “lighten” the load the hot air balloon is carrying - so they throw everything overboard - and end up wearing only underwear！ （That detail definitely pleased the kids）。The fact that this is based on a true story concerning the first hot air balloon flight from England to France makes it all the more delightful。The backmatter explains the “untrue” parts - for example， most likely the two dogs were not onboard。Sophie Blackall’s old-fashioned looking artwork matches the 1785 time setting of the story。 There were a few pages that felt too busy （with many scenes） but also a lovely， nearly wordless page with the balloon in the sky， tiny speech bubbles saying “brrr” and a cute little village with boat below。 。。。more
Candi Lynn
，
Voyage in the Clouds: The （Mostly） True Story of the First International Flight by Balloon in 1785， is a delightful and comical telling of a factual event。 The author also shares at the end of the narrative what is fact and what is fiction， which is also interesting。 great read。
Amy
，
I was surprised to feel so "meh" about such a power picture book pairing。 I found the text and layout confusing， the dialogue uninteresting， and the point of the story hard to determine。 I was surprised to feel so "meh" about such a power picture book pairing。 I found the text and layout confusing， the dialogue uninteresting， and the point of the story hard to determine。 。。。more
Serenity
，
This will make a fun readaloud。 According to the author's note， it's not a pure nonfiction， but is mostly based on fact。 An interesting story about the first international balloon flight。 This will make a fun readaloud。 According to the author's note， it's not a pure nonfiction， but is mostly based on fact。 An interesting story about the first international balloon flight。 。。。more
Beverly
，
Reviewed for Mock Caldecott Awards--my last group for this year's vote。 Another book from the Caldecott candidates that I loved。 The illustrations were wonderful and I really enjoyed the sense of humor used in the telling。 Two men set out to attempt the same adventure but have very different ways of going about it。 The lesson is that a difference of opinion does not mean that anyone is wrong。 Reviewed for Mock Caldecott Awards--my last group for this year's vote。 Another book from the Caldecott candidates that I loved。 The illustrations were wonderful and I really enjoyed the sense of humor used in the telling。 Two men set out to attempt the same adventure but have very different ways of going about it。 The lesson is that a difference of opinion does not mean that anyone is wrong。 。。。more
Barbara
，
Ah， the perils of early flight！ In this humorous tale of how an Englishman and a Frenchman eventually settle their difference while airborne， readers will come to realize that disasters may cause the most unlikely of companions to work together。 The story is set in 1785， a couple of years after animals and humans have risen to the skies via a balloon。 Since no one has flown from one country to another， Dr。 John Jeffries and Jean-Pierre Blanchard are determined to claim that distinction for thems Ah， the perils of early flight！ In this humorous tale of how an Englishman and a Frenchman eventually settle their difference while airborne， readers will come to realize that disasters may cause the most unlikely of companions to work together。 The story is set in 1785， a couple of years after animals and humans have risen to the skies via a balloon。 Since no one has flown from one country to another， Dr。 John Jeffries and Jean-Pierre Blanchard are determined to claim that distinction for themselves but as individuals， certainly not as a team。 The colorful and incredibly detailed illustrations， which alternate with cartoon panels， reveal that the balloon's basket is almost like a ship floating through the air。 The two passengers， accompanied by their pet dogs， are unable to get along even for a moment， and the balloon swells as it rises higher into the air。 Releasing some of the gas helps solve the problem， and the balloon begins to shrink， but it does so too swiftly。 But Jeffries drops the wrench used to tighten the valve， and they must throw everything aboard， including their clothing， in order to make it to ground safely。 Needless to say， by the time they land， their experience has bonded the former enemies。 An Author's Note provides additional information about these two men as well as describing some of the embellishments the author took with the story to make it even more charming。 Two sheepish men greet their well-wishers once they reach France， having completed the first international balloon flight。 。。。more
Maggi Rohde
，
Excellent for explaining the difference between history and historical fiction。
Cindy Mitchell *Kiss the Book*
，
Olsan， Matthew A Voyage in the Clouds PICTURE BOOK。 25 pgs。 Margaret Ferguson Books （Farrar Straus Giroux）， 2016。 $18。00This is the mostly true story of the first international balloon flight in 1785， in which two gentlemen who don’t get along very well cross from England to France in a hot air balloon。 But things don’t go very well and at one point they have to throw things overboard， hilarity ensues。This book was over the top funny！ I love the basis in history and I think students will find th Olsan， Matthew A Voyage in the Clouds PICTURE BOOK。 25 pgs。 Margaret Ferguson Books （Farrar Straus Giroux）， 2016。 $18。00This is the mostly true story of the first international balloon flight in 1785， in which two gentlemen who don’t get along very well cross from England to France in a hot air balloon。 But things don’t go very well and at one point they have to throw things overboard， hilarity ensues。This book was over the top funny！ I love the basis in history and I think students will find this incredibly interesting。 I love the relationship between the two men as they bicker and think it could be food for thought for older readers。 The illustrations are stylized like an old painting and completely add to the fun （I especially love the faces of the dogs as they go through the two hour ordeal）。EL（K-3） –ESSENTIAL Reviewer: Stephanie Elementary School Librarian & Author。http://kissthebook。blogspot。com/2017/。。。 。。。more
Cara
，