A Voyage in the Clouds
A New York Times Best Illustrated Book
“Blackall… has a gift for revealing that people dressed in petticoats and tricorne hats are just as human as the rest of us.” ―Publishers Weekly, Starred Review
“Blackall’s witty illustrations―which include full-page art and double-page spreads in color along with occasional black-and-white comic-panel strips; word balloons; and florid ornamentation―feel plucked from the time period.” ―The Horn Book, Starred Review
“A delightful tale that will captivate elementary students with comedy, suspense, and beautiful illustrations.” ―School Library Journal, Starred Review
“Here’s a story ripe for booktalking: a pair of bickering, cheating, dissembling adults set off from England in a hydrogen balloon and land in France in their underwear.” ―The Bulletin for the Center of Children’s Books, Starred Review
“Rarely has a story of a historic first been so silly. Olshan and Blackall together tell the somewhat fictionalized tale of American (then English) Dr. John Jeffries and French Jean-Pierre Blanchard’s first international journey by balloon. . .Blackall’s signature watercolor illustrations, in a vintage palette and full of old-fashioned details, amp up the levity with humorous comic strips showcasing the balloonists’ over-the-top arguments, and depictions of the dogs’ anguished reactions to their owners’ egos.” ―Booklist