Lower School students gathered in the music studio this week for a special Beasley assembly: visiting author Jason Henry came by to read his book, Up and Away, and talk about the process of writing and publishing a book. Henry traveled to MICDS from his home state of New Jersey to visit his family, including his nephews, Lincoln ’36 and Ryder B. ’33.
Thomas Buffington, Lower School Librarian, and Sarah Garner, Lower School Art Teacher, worked with the author and his family over many months to arrange this special visit. On Monday morning, Buffington introduced Henry and led the children in a Beasley tradition: the silent celebration to show excitement. The students put their best listening ears on and gave Henry a warm welcome.
Henry began by asking, “Did anyone see the hot air balloons this weekend, in town?” What perfect timing, as Henry’s book is all about the first hot air balloon! He began by explaining that he is an author and an illustrator. Authors write the story, and illustrators draw the pictures that go along with the words. He did both for his book, and shared, “It’s a true story! Everything happened!”
Then he asked the students who would like to travel to the moon? What about to Mars? Or anywhere in the solar system? “I would, too,” Henry said. “How would we get there? A rocket ship? A spaceship? Were those things always around? Someone had to come up with the idea for a rocket ship. That’s called an inventor. It all starts with an idea, a thought in your head.”
Up and Away is the true story of someone who built the first flying machine: a hot air balloon. “It came from an idea,” he said. After the initial idea, an inventor builds and tests, and often that first design doesn’t work. So they build and test again. “Everything around us became possible from ideas.”
Then Henry read his story of the first flying machine, built in 1783. “Today we dress in pajamas [it was PJ Day for Spirit Week] or modern clothes, but back then in France, people dressed in powdered wigs.” With that, Henry produced a gray wig, much to the delight of his audience. “Men and women would often wear wigs like this.” He donned the wig, resulting in more giggles from the students. “They also wore very fancy clothes,” he said, showing a royal formal blue suitcoat with bright silver buttons and long tails. Then he began to read.
The book tells the story of Joseph Montgolfier, a young man whose family owned a paper-making company. He was a dreamer and an inventor, and when he saw his papers fly into the fireplace from a gust of wind and take flight, he realized that heat could make things rise. He recruited his brother, Etienne, to help him experiment. They created a balloon that rose into the air after a fire was lit beneath it.
Henry pointed out that there were colorful animal characters throughout the book: a rooster, a duck, and a sheep. They play an important role in the story later in the book. The Montgolfier brothers tried many different designs, testing each one and then making changes to the next iteration. “That’s what we should do when we face obstacles,” he told the students. “We build and build and build.”
Soon, word about the Montgolfiers’ magnificent flying machine reached the king in Versailles, and the brothers were asked to demonstrate their invention. They worked for a long time to perfect their invention, partnering with a famous paper designer to decorate their balloon. They faced even more challenges and kept working to overcome each one.
Finally, it was the day to show off their balloon to King Louis and Marie Antoinette in Versailles. They wanted to show that the balloon could carry passengers, so a rooster, a duck, and a sheep were loaded into the basket below the magnificent balloon. The crowd cheered when the balloon lifted off and drifted out of sight with its three animal passengers. The king’s horsemen followed the balloon as it drifted, and after two miles, the balloon lost its heat and landed. The animals hopped out and were returned to Versailles, much to the delight of the Montgolfier brothers and the crowd.
“News of this successful demonstration quickly spread, and the entire world soon became dreamers, too,” said Henry. He shared that the Montgolfier brothers called their invention an aerostat, so those first animal passengers were aeronauts.
Next, the brothers built a balloon that carried two people. They built a big, smoky fire under it. The balloon traveled a couple of miles again, and soon after, hot air balloons began popping up all over. “One of the first people to fly was a science teacher,” Henry told the students. “Just like your teachers here!” A hundred years later, the Wright brothers built and flew the first airplane. See what happens when people start dreaming and building?
After this exhilarating story, Henry shared how he made the book. “As an author for a story that’s true, I did a lot of reading and research about France and about the brothers. I read their letters and anything I could get my hands on. I had the opportunity to travel to France.” He visited the king’s palace of Versailles, which is a tourist attraction today. “It was special to be able to visit there. It’s gold and elaborate.” He showed a photo of the golden gates. “My wife and I were able to take a flight in a hot air balloon, or a balloon with different gas.” In Paris, visitors can go for a tethered balloon ride. He showed a photo, saying, “It’s very high. I can only imagine what the animals felt.”
“Once all the research is done, I start to draw,” he continued. “Lots and lots of drawings for the book. It doesn’t always start off very finished.” He showed a book of drawings that led to his finished work, a photo of the studio where he works, and how he finishes his artwork on the computer by adding color. “It all starts with an idea. I had the idea for this book many years ago and started to read and learn as much as I could, just as Joseph and Etienne learned as much as they could about science. Two brothers could build the first flying machine that could lead to rockets and space ships, and it all came from people just like you.”
“I encourage you to come up with an idea, think about it, learn as much as you can, experiment, draw, build, and work with others. You can create anything. You can dream big and build anything.”
With that, Henry answered many great questions from the students. Did the two brothers get to fly in a hot air balloon? (Yes.) What happened to the animals after the flight? (They lived very good lives after. The king of Versailles gave them a comfy home in his zoo at the palace.) Are hot air balloons dangerous? (They are safe today!) How long did it take you to make the book? (Each painting took three to four weeks to do, including sketches, painting, and writing. It took Henry over a year to make. “It’s important that the facts are right and that the pictures look real.”) Did the brothers have any other inventions? (Joseph had lots of ideas. He was one of the first people to experiment with hydraulics, or using water as a force. He also had a lot of innovations in bookmaking and papermaking.)
“The students asked wonderful questions about the historic content, and about the writing and illustrating process,” said Buffington. “By the end of Mr. Henry’s presentation, the point was clear: if you put your mind to a task, you can succeed! Whether it’s creating the world’s first flying machine or publishing your own book, goals can be reached if you put forth your best efforts and brainpower!”
With that, author Jason Henry left the Lower School students with a great message: “Go and dream big. Reach for the stars with those hot air balloons!”
“This was such a wonderful opportunity for our students to experience!” said Buffington. “What a wonderful day, and to top it off, the Library was excited to provide signed copies of Mr. Henry’s book to each of our Beasley students. Their faces lit up as they received their copies to take home.”
Thank you to Mr. Henry, Mr. Buffington, Ms. Garner, and the family of Lincoln and Ryder for a wonderful day packed with meaningful messages.