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

After this introduction, Marjorie Priceman, in a nearly wordless section, goes on to imagine what that flight might have been like for the animals, had they been possessed of near-human intelligence and emotions, and a talent for pratfalls. They soar over France, getting tangled up in clotheslines, shot at by a boy with a bow and arrow, bumping into a church steeple, nearly falling out, getting flooded and attacked by birds, and finally crash-landing safely. It concludes with a brief timeline of the year leading up to the real event.

This is really two books in one. It begins and ends with historical information, and in the middle is a silly, wordless picture book that anthropomorphizes the slapstick antics of the three animal heroes. It's easy to see why it won a Caldecott honor: It is gorgeously illustrated in detailed pen, ink, and watercolor paintings filled with clever and humorous details that reward close inspection. For instance, in some panels the clouds in the background take on interesting shapes, while elements in earlier pictures, such as an arrow and a bird, come to play prominent parts in later ones.

The text, what there is of it, is straightforward, with humorous touches. All together it makes for an entertaining, if somewhat schizophrenic, tale.