Cadmus Henry by Walter D. Edmonds*

 I have not read many books about the Civil War from the south's perspective, so I enjoyed reading this book. Although, by the end of the book, the reader can infer Cadmus might be swayed by the north's viewpoint.

Cadmus longs to join Peninsular Campaign with General John Bankhead Magruder against General George B. McClellan. Because he is too young, he serves as a volunteer aide- a clerk. After weeks of sitting at a desk, when an opportunity arises to scout and map out the north's position, he seizes it, not realizing he will be scouting from a hot air balloon! Adventures ensue!

I really liked reading about the Civil War from a young man's perspective. The author highlights many issues and points but in an engaging narrative.

*Highly recommend.

-Borrowed via ILL.

A Dream of Flight by Rob and Polivka and Jef Polivka illustrated by Rob Polivka*

Alberto Santos-Dumont's Race Around the Eiffel Tower
Alberto dreams of humans flying.  When he leaves Brazil to study in Paris, France, he finds the opportunity to design a balloon to fly around the Eiffel Tower and back to the Aero Club in less than thirty minutes.  He designs not one balloon, but six balloons before he experiences success.
Alberto's story reinforces the importance of perseverance, optimism, problem solving and work ethic.
Inspiring!
The author and illustrators are brothers.  They bring to life this endearing man through the excellent narration and illustrations.
*Highly recommend.
-Borrowed from the library.

Up & Down By Don Brown

The Adventures of John Jeffries, First American to Fly
After the American Revolution, Dr. John Jeffries, a Tory, was thrown out of Boston and decided to settle in London.  He loved observing the weather and took careful notes.  When the hot balloon craze, hit Europe, Dr. Jeffries imagined what kind of weather observations he could make up in the air in a hot air balloon.  French balloonist Jean-Pierre Blanchard offered him this opportunity and they took a short 1 1/2 hour trip.  This adventure, however, was not enough.  The two planned a trip across the English Channel from Britain to France.  The rest of the story focuses on their harrowing experience with humor woven into the retelling. My favorite pages were 30-31!
Pair with

Hot Air: The (Mostly) True Story of the First Hot-Air Balloon Ride by Marjorie Priceman.

-Borrowed from the library.

Max and Maddy and the Bursting Balloons Mystery by Alexander McCall Smith illustrated by Macky Pamintuan

Millionaire Harry Helium seeks out sibling detective team, Max and Maddy Twist, to help him figure out who is attempting to sabotage his hot air balloon race.  When they accept the request, they find themselves traveling via hot air balloon from NY to Vancouver.  As the balloonist race, mishaps occur.  Can Max and Maddy figure out the culprit before someone is seriously hurt?
Mr. Smith is the author of the No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency for adults.  I enjoyed his humor and comments in this book too!
Great series for transitional readers.
Guided Reading Level: O (3rd grade)
Borrowed from library.

Sebastian and the Balloon by Philip C. Stead

Sebastian needs a change so he creates a hot air balloon from his grandmother's quilts and afghans and finds adventure and new friends during his travels.

The Amazing Air Balloon by Jean Van Leeuwen illustrated by Marco Ventura

Beautiful, bright, bold full page illustrations dominate every other page in this book.  My boys and I especially loved the last page when Edward was in the air balloon, looking down on the town and the bay.  This illustration spans two full pages!
Told from the point of view of thirteen year old Edward Warren, an apprentice for a blacksmith, this story reveals the true events about Peter Carnes and his determination to fly an air balloon.
Edward Warren was an actual person but the only thing known about him is his name and age and that he was the first to go up in an air balloon in America.
The text mentions the first balloon ride in France which carried a rooster, sheep and duck.  We own a book about this first ride so my boys and I could make a T-T connection.
Read Hot Air by Marjorie Priceman for a fun read about the first air balloon ride!