There couldn't be a briefer or more basic introduction to modern air travel and the history of flight. In 30 vividly colored pages, Gibbons takes children from the image of one man envying the bird its wings to the promise of the space shuttle exploring the heavens. In between, Gibbons gives the history of flying beginning with the first balloon in France carrying a basket of farm animals; a brief mention of the Wright brothers; the modern uses of blimps and hang gliders; then the importance of airplanes, from the small propeller planes to the largest jumbo jets.

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