The enchanting, vibrant paintings of balloon ships in this book would be perfect for framing even if they weren't also perfectly suited to the text. As depicted by Curlee (who illustrated Dennis Haseley's Horses With Wings, 1993), hot-air balloons that are as lovely as floating FabergÇ eggs add a sense of magic to the story of the origins of air travel. More than a hundred years before the Wright brothers and the first airplane took flight, the first hot-air balloon, ``made of silk, lined with paper, and held together with buttons in buttonholes,'' was built in 1793 by two French brothers, Joseph and êtienne Montgolfier. Other inventors improved balloon travel; however, as Curlee explains, the ``story of lighter-than-air travel is mainly the story of failures.'' The explosion of the Hindenburg, depicted in firework-inspired colors of bright yellow and orange, marked the end of the era of great airships. This brief history of that era delights as well as it informs. (Picture book/nonfiction. 8-11)
Pub Date: Sept. 1, 1996
ISBN: 0-395-69338-1
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Houghton Mifflin
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 1, 1996
Floca (The Frightful Story of Harry Walfish, 1997, etc.) offers a great explication of the small trucks that airline passengers see scurrying around jets on the runways. In brightly painted illustrations and simple descriptions, he introduces each vehicle, explains what it does, and shows it in action, e.g., the truck called the baggage conveyor is shown hoisting suitcases into the belly of the plane. All five trucks’ duties point to a big finale when the plane takes off. Given preschoolers’ well-documented fascination with heavy machinery, this book will strike a chord with young air travelers, and answer the questions of older travelers as well. (Picture book. 6-10)
Pub Date: April 1, 1999
ISBN: 0-7894-2561-0
Page Count: 32
Publisher: DK Publishing
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 15, 1999
The leap-at-you color and elegantly stylized illustrations, resembling airbrushed linoleum-cuts, give this book an instant allure; the story—a noble tale of character and social leveling, mock drama and high mirth—more than meets the expectations aroused by that first impression. A retired pirate, out on a stroll in Central Park, is prompted by his memories to build a scale-model replica of his pirate ship and launch it in the park’s sailboat pond. All is shipshape until an old queen arrives and has her servant launch an outsized liner—the S.S. Uppity Duchess. The liner barges about, swamping the other boats in the pond, but at the pirate’s suggestion to slow her vessel, the queen opens fire on his ship. He responds with a broadside of his own and a great battle ensues; tiny cannonballs zing this way and that, people take cover, dogs and young children run riot, taxis on Fifth Avenue come to a halt. Then the queen calls a truce; she’s in need of a nap, and from that need—which the pirate shares—flows the notes of reconciliation. “Peace and tranquility once again reigned at the pond. Sails were set, dogs recaptured, and gentle laughter returned to the soft summer air of New York City.” Priest tells the story with dash and verve, whether in a turn of phrase or a line of art; it not only features a contemporary city with one of its great pleasures—the park—in full flower, but a realm in which the wish for a little rest outweighs the wages of war. (Picture book. 4-8)
Pub Date: March 1, 1999
ISBN: 0-395-90505-2
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Houghton Mifflin
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 15, 1999
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