The incredible illustrated true story of the first balloon flight to the stratosphere, for children ages 4–8. Soar to the Stratosphere: Auguste Piccard’s Incredible Balloon Flight to Dizzying Heights presents an endearing, exciting, and true story of innovation and exploration that will delight budding scientists and fans of adventure. In this bouncy, adventure-packed, rhyming picture book, the experts at Smithsonian’s National Air and Space Museum tell the story of Auguste Piccard, the first human to fly to the stratosphere. Years before travel in space, Piccard engineered a gondola attached to a giant balloon in his quest to measure cosmic rays from outer space. Vibrant and informative text, illustrations, photographs, and nonfiction back matter from the NASM collection, plus craft-time instructions that guide readers to create their own balloon models make this nonfiction picture book perfect for at-home and classroom read-alouds. Written by Air and Space Museum curator Thomas Paone and illustrated by educator and children’s book artist Diane Kidd, this fun and informative book hits the trifecta of Biography STEAM Fun.