Every day can be an adventure. Especially if you bring balloons. Ever wondered what it would be like to ride a carousel right off its platform? As Emma discovers, all it takes is a handful of balloons and a very kind polar bear to show you the way. This soaring story of friendship, between a carousel bear and the little girl who noticed him, will take readers to the arctic and back—in time for bedtime, of course—and remind them anything is possible. Even flying.

Julianna Margulies presents this story her father wrote for her and her sisters when they were children. Saturdays at the Children’s Zoo with their father always end the same way for Ariel, Miranda, and Jane: he offers them money for a treat, but they instead choose to buy food for the animals. On this particular Saturday, a mysterious balloon man gives them a small reward for their kindness—one balloon each, to be tied to their bedposts that night. Soon they find that the balloons bring them more magic than they could ever have imagined. For readers who love the magic and wonder in Uni the Unicorn by Amy Krouse Rosenthal.

Hot air balloons are huge and colorful. They're lots of fun to watch. But how do they fly? And how do people control where the hot air balloon goes? Read this book to find out!

In a book with foldout pages, Monica's father fulfills her request for the moon by taking it down after it is small enough to carry, but it continues to change in size.

**Kirkus Best Books of the Year (2013)** **Time Magazine 10 Top Nonfiction Books of 2013** **The New Republic Best Books of 2013** In this heart-lifting chronicle, Richard Holmes, author of the best-selling The Age of Wonder, follows the pioneer generation of balloon aeronauts, the daring and enigmatic men and women who risked their lives to take to the air (or fall into the sky). Why they did it, what their contemporaries thought of them, and how their flights revealed the secrets of our planet is a compelling adventure that only Holmes could tell. His accounts of the early Anglo-French balloon rivalries, the crazy firework flights of the beautiful Sophie Blanchard, the long-distance voyages of the American entrepreneur John Wise and French photographer Felix Nadar are dramatic and exhilarating. Holmes documents as well the balloons used to observe the horrors of modern battle during the Civil War (including a flight taken by George Armstrong Custer); the legendary tale of at least sixty-seven manned balloons that escaped from Paris (the first successful civilian airlift in history) during the Prussian siege of 1870-71; the high-altitude exploits of James Glaisher (who rose) seven miles above the earth without oxygen, helping to establish the new science of meteorology); and how Mary Shelley, Edgar Allan Poe, and Jules Verne felt the imaginative impact of flight and allowed it to soar in their work. A seamless fusion of history, art, science, biography, and the metaphysics of flights, Falling Upwards explores the interplay between technology and imagination. And through the strange allure of these great balloonists, it offers a masterly portrait of human endeavor, recklessness, and vision. (With 24 pages of color illustrations, and black-and-white illustrations throughout.)

One cold winter day, Blue returns to her nest to find something wonderful: Egg! Or rather a snowball she mistakes for an egg. Blue puts Egg in a pail and sets off to look for Egg's mother. But as the winter winds down and the temperature goes up, Blue is in for a sad surprise. Not to worry, though. In this sweet story of friendship, even snowmelt grows into something beautiful. With her intricate cut-paper illustrations, Lindsay Ward perfectly captures her lovable characters and their world in this unforgettable, heartwarming tale.

The easiest-to-follow and most comprehensive balloon-sculpting treasury available, this amazing book is packed with over 100 unique designs. Gerry Giovinco presents step-by-step cartoons and schematics that anyone can use to recreate these sculptures. You can start out small with a one-balloon dog and a princess hat and build up to a monkey in a tree, an intricate motorcycle, and reproductions of classic cartoon characters. Gerry clearly explains and shows the sizes of the bubbles you'll need to make as you build your sculpture from the knot up, and he demonstrates the unique folds and twists that result in finished works of art — and instant smiles. Gerry Giovinco is an acclaimed artist, cartoonist, and entertainer. In his clown persona, Captain Visual, he performs and teaches the craft of balloon sculpting throughout the country. The Big Book of Balloon Art is simple enough for kids, and it's great for parents and teachers too. Even seasoned performers will find it a practical and fun-filled way to improve their skills.