Take flight with a truly inspirational tale of courage and self-belief, inspired by the incredible life of Sophie Blanchard, the world’s first female hot-air balloonist.
Scaredy-Cat Sophie is afraid of everything! So when a balloonist comes to the town fair, Sophie is left behind while everyone else goes to watch him fly in his marvellous balloon. She's far too frightened of the crowds, the commotion and even riding in a horse-drawn carriage.
But Sophie longs to watch the hot-air balloon sail across the blue sky. If she could just be brave enough to face her fears, who knows where her journey might take her …
A touching tale for young readers of learning to overcome anxiety and follow your dreams.
This is Book 55 in the Little Gems Series. See all Little Gems books here.
See More General fiction
A long time ago, in a small French village by the sea, there lived a little girl called Sophie.
Katherine Woodfine is a true champion of children's literature. Until 2015 she was Arts Project Manager for Booktrust, where she project-managed the Children's Laureateship and YALC, the UK's first Young Adult Literature Convention, curated by Malorie Blackman.
She is part of the founding team at Down the Rabbit Hole, a monthly show for Resonance FM dis
Briony May Smith studied illustration at Falmouth College, where she caught the eye of Flying Eye Books and her first picture book, Imelda and the Goblin King, was snapped up straight away! She currently works and lives in Sandhurst, England.
More about Briony May Smith
