The Big Balloon Race

After the family 4-year-old complained that there are no adventure (as distinct from ‘girly’) books with girls as main characters, I went looking and found this. Perfect. The balloonist family in the story is historically true (see a short video about them created by the Herkimer County Historical Society), although there’s no evidence of daughter Ariel acting heroically one day to help the family win a race as related in the book. That much only is fiction.

This was one of the first books my daughter read cover-to-cover in one sitting. She was very interested in the outcome of the race and motivated to finish the book. Some of the vocabulary is specific to ballooning and was unfamiliar even to me (at least in the context of ballooning).

I was very impressed by the great illustrations in this book. Colorful and eyedrawing they gave a clear picture of the words you were reading. Very nice job!The story is about a little girl named Ariel and her mother Carlotta who flys balloons.Ariel wanted to be with her mother on the day of the big race and she stowed away, not telling her Mother.This is where the fun begins as Ariel and her Mom battle to win the race and Ariel ends up in the lake. A cute read, one you will enjoy reading to your child.

Do you like balloons? If so, this is the book for you. The story is true and took place in 1882. I loved it. There were four characters: Carlotta, Ariel, Bernard, and Mr. Myers. I think kids and their friends should read this book. It did take a long time to read, but it was good.