“Fleets of sharply depicted early, modern, and theoretical gliders, balloons, jets, and other aircraft send this overview speeding down the runway.“It started with Icarus.” Beginning with this mythical flight—and crash—a grizzled grandpa squires two grandchildren through a chronicle of airborne ups and downs, from ancient Chinese military kites and later European hot air balloons, past the Wright brothers and other early aviators successful and otherwise, to galleries of 20th-century war planes, modern passenger jets, and helicopters of diverse design. Pausing along the way for close-up examinations of the anatomy and aerodynamics of bird wings, how engines work, and other fundamentals, the tour concludes with an infographic timeline that, though it ends in 2007, memorably recaps most of the preceding content in one sweeping visual. Aside from briefly touting dirigibles as eco-friendly alternatives, the author glides silently past the environmental costs of conventional aircraft. Still, his gallery of notable figures does include ninth-century experimenter Abbas ibn Firnas (“Although he broke a few bones, he’s credited with making one of the first parachute jumps”) and other undersung innovators worldwide; for truly insatiable fans of flight, he recommends several more comprehensive histories. Human figures in the illustrations are predominantly male but racially diverse. The grandfather is tan-skinned; one grandchild is brown-skinned, while the other is pale-skinned. Amiable glimpses of flights across the friendly, and not so friendly, skies.” —Kirkus Reviews

“Prepare for takeoff on an exciting STEM journey with “Up, Up, and Away!” Young readers will enjoy joining Grandpa Edward and his curious grandkids, Molly and Simon, as they take to the skies to explore the amazing history of aviation. From Icharus to the very first flying machines to the modern marvels of helicopters and hot-air balloons, this exciting large scale picture book brings aviation history to life with beautiful illustrations and engaging tales of legendary aviators and groundbreaking historical events. Vibrant illustrations and the captivating journey Grandpa Edward, Molly and Simon take make learning about aviation exciting for young kids, inspiring curiosity about the science behind how aircrafts work and a love for learning about the history of aviation. Critique: This large format, hardcover edition of “Up, Up, and Away: The History of Aviation” by author, illustrator, and aviation historian Tomas SMOT Svoboda is especially and unreservedly recommended as a unique and enduringly popular pick for family, elementary school, middle school, and community library Aviation History collections for children ages 9-12.” —Midwest Book Review - Children’s Bookwatch

“Svoboda’s clean, sharp plane graphics with light and airy backgrounds puts you in mind of 1970s art deco vacation advertisements. The Czech author/illustrator knows modernity and aviation go together gorgeously, and Svoboda’s photorealistic planes feature the paint schemes of old Air France, Lufthansa, and Goodyear logos.” —Luke Steere, Youth Services Book Review

“This book will be a great addition to my middle school library collection, especially for my students that love aviation. The illustrations are beautiful, which is a positive, with how much my students love borrowing graphic novels. I foresee this title staying checked out for most of the school year!” —Litchfield Middle School, Librarian

“This was a beautifully illustrated overview of the history of aviation, shorter than Grove’s Milestones of flight : from hot-air balloons to SpaceShipOne, but also more culturally inclusive. I was impressed with the range of topics that were included; Akron’s Goodyear blimp was even included. Younger readers will be drawn in by the grandfather ostensibly telling the story. This would be a great book for grandparents to give as a gift to grandchildren. It has that sort of heirloom quality to it.” —Blendon Middle School, Librarian

Tomas SMOT Svoboda is a self-taught illustrator from Brno, Czech Republic. Although his main professional interest is in graphic design, in the past two years he has branched out and focused more on drawing.

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