“It will . . . sweep readers away.” —Kirkus Reviews “Henry’s lush, digital artwork depicts the splendors of eighteenth-century France . . . a good addition to units on aviation and inventors.” —BooklistMore than a century before the Wright Brothers invented their plane, Josephand Étienne Montgolfier sent a flying machine into the skies—a hot-air balloon with three animals in the basket. Go up, up, and away with them on their first, magical journey! Back in 1782, in Ardèche, France, lived Joseph Montgolfier, a dreamer and an inventor who liked to learn about how everything worked. When one day a gust of wind blew his papers into the fireplace, he noticed that something lifted the pieces into the air—and he realized that heat could make things rise. With the help of his brother, Étienne, he began to experiment . . . and created a new kind of flying machine: a hot-air balloon! This beautifully illustrated picture book tells the story of how the balloon came to be, King Louis XVI’s visit to see it fly, and the three animals—a rooster, a duck, and a sheep—who became its very first passengers.