Hot Air: The [Mostly] True Story of the First Hot-Air Balloon Ride

Hot Air is the (mostly) true story of the first hot-air balloon ride. It begins with some historical background about the first launch of the hot air balloon, where it was, who was there, who invented the balloon. But then goes into a fictional part about who was actually on the balloon, a duck, a sheep, and a rooster. This book could be used in a class that is learning about France, the history of the hot air balloon, or even to learn about animals (since they are the ones who are on the balloon). The book begins with historical text, but once the animals are in flight there is no text, except for the occasional quack, or baaaa. The illustrations are set up like a graphic novel where they are separated by squares to see the quick show more activities and motion. The illustrator used watercolor to give the drawings more motion and I would argue that it works. By just looking at the picture you can tell the hot air balloon is not stable and one of the animals may fly out. The back panel of the book also has a timeline of the brief history of Montgolfier’s balloons, which is important and could be a good source for a student. show less

This is book is like one I have never read, in a good way. It’s historical, informational, international, and most of all, half the book has words and have the book is a wordless picture book. I think that is the main reason I like this book; in the beginning it gives details about where it’s taking place, (the palace of Versailles) in France, the people at the event, and lastly, it tells the story of a duck, a sheep, and a rooster. The story of the animals is all in wordless picture book style, to allow students let their imagination run wild, and to be taken on an adventure. Another reason I like this book is it is historical in a way: It was set in 1783, allowing kids to think about what happened during that time period, and show more describes the palace of Versailles, like that it has 700 rooms and 67 staircases. It also mentioned that Louis XVI and Antoinette were King and Queen at the time. I also think that this book is very informational, based on the examples I just gave as well as others, like talking about Joseph and Etienne Montgolfier (amateur inventors). Lastly, this book is international, since it was based in France, and gives pictures and descriptions that represents a country that is definitely NOT America. This is a great, creative, extremely different picture book for kids. show less

This was a really fun read that has historical elements to it but adds fantasy to spice up the story. It is about the true report of the first "manned hot-air ballon take off in 1783, only there are weird noises coming from the basket! A duck, sheep, and rooster have quite the adventure in the basket as they take off. I really enjoyed how the book was laid out. It started out giving facts and information, but once it revealed that the passengers were animals, it used pictures and onomatopoeias to show what was happening to the animals. The pictures are amazing, and the author/illustrator was nominated for a Caldecott. My only critique is that it almost went a little too long with only pictures and no words.
Genre:Historical Fiction-the show more author used true events and expanded them.
Uses: 1.Great example of onomatopoeia. 2. A great book that describes the first Hot air ballon, so if you had a lesson or were learning about hot air ballons, this is your book!
Material: I would best guess that this book was illustrated using water color and ink. show less

Told in comic-book style with very few words, this new work by Caldecott Honor-winning artist Priceman is a travelogue as well as a visual comedy of errors that depicts history's first foray into the skies.

This is an enjoyable and slightly informative book about the rumor that the first ever hot air balloon ride was taken by three barnyard animals. This book describes some sticky situations the animals find themselves in while in the air. The illustrations have a lot of detail and are very colorful. Text is repetitive which is enjoyable to young readers. Could be used to then introduce the true history of hot air balloons or the science behind how they work.

Hot Air by Marjorie Priceman greatly exhibits the meaning of a picture book. It does more than solely reinforce the meaning of the text, but it adds life and character to the story. The book begins with pictures accompanied by words, but gradually transforms to pictures only. The first few pages’ illustrations are simply drawn yet contain much detail. The pictures seem to speak more than the words. It tells mini-stories about the people in the illustration which has nothing to do with the main theme of the book. This is a great example of adding context through pictures.

The book opens with a brief history of the first hot air balloon, but the majority of the story is told from the perspective of the first 3 passengers- a duck, sheep and rooster. There is almost no text after the first couple pages about the history, allowing the reader to interpret what the animals may be thinking as they ride the hot air balloon. The images are really wonderful, and tell a story without words. This lack of text allows young readers to narrate the story to how they feel fit, allowing for imagination to take over. A lot of the pages are broken up into multiple images, which is interesting and unique. I felt the book ended abruptly with a slight disconnect, and an overwhelming of words to end the story. The back cover show more has a brief history of hot air balloons which is interesting, but at a slightly higher reading level than the reader who would be reading this book. I do appreciate the historical context because it will teach the reader a bit about the first hot air balloons.

Classroom Extension: Have the students write the narration from one of the animals perspectives based on the pictures. show less