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Flight for Freedom: The Wetzel Family’s Daring Escape from East Germany
An Inspiring True Story about One Family's Escape from Behind the Berlin Wall!
Peter was born on the east side of Germany, the side that wasn't free. He watches news programs rather than cartoons, and wears scratchy uniforms instead of blue jeans. His family endures long lines and early curfews. But Peter knows it won't always be this way. Peter and his family have a secret. Late at night in their attic, they are piecing together a hot air balloon—and a plan. Can Peter and his family fly their way to freedom? This is the true story of one child, Peter Wetzel, and his family, as they risk their lives for the hope of freedom in a daring escape from East Germany via a handmade hot air balloon in 1979.
• A perfect picture book for educators teaching about the Cold War, the Iron Curtain, and East Germany
• Flight for Freedom is a showcase for lessons of bravery, heroism, family, and perseverance, as well as stunning history.
• Includes detailed maps of the Wetzel family's escape route and diagrams of their hot air balloon
For fans of historical nonfiction picture books like Let the Children March, The Wall, Growing Up Behind the Iron Curtain, Armstrong: The Adventurous Journey of a Mouse to the Moon.
• True life escape stories
• For picture book readers age 5–9
• For teachers, librarians, and historians
Kristen Fulton is a children's book author. She can always be found with a notebook in hand as she ventures through historical sites and museums. Most of the time she lives in Florida—but she can also be found traveling the country by RV.
Torben Kuhlmann is an award-winning children's book author and illustrator. Starting in kindergarten he became known as "the draftsman." Flying machines and rich historical detail often adorn his work. He lives in Hamburg, Germany.
Peter was born on the east side of Germany, the side that wasn't free. He watches news programs rather than cartoons, and wears scratchy uniforms instead of blue jeans. His family endures long lines and early curfews. But Peter knows it won't always be this way. Peter and his family have a secret. Late at night in their attic, they are piecing together a hot air balloon—and a plan. Can Peter and his family fly their way to freedom? This is the true story of one child, Peter Wetzel, and his family, as they risk their lives for the hope of freedom in a daring escape from East Germany via a handmade hot air balloon in 1979.
• A perfect picture book for educators teaching about the Cold War, the Iron Curtain, and East Germany
• Flight for Freedom is a showcase for lessons of bravery, heroism, family, and perseverance, as well as stunning history.
• Includes detailed maps of the Wetzel family's escape route and diagrams of their hot air balloon
For fans of historical nonfiction picture books like Let the Children March, The Wall, Growing Up Behind the Iron Curtain, Armstrong: The Adventurous Journey of a Mouse to the Moon.
• True life escape stories
• For picture book readers age 5–9
• For teachers, librarians, and historians
Kristen Fulton is a children's book author. She can always be found with a notebook in hand as she ventures through historical sites and museums. Most of the time she lives in Florida—but she can also be found traveling the country by RV.
Torben Kuhlmann is an award-winning children's book author and illustrator. Starting in kindergarten he became known as "the draftsman." Flying machines and rich historical detail often adorn his work. He lives in Hamburg, Germany.
50 pages, Hardcover
First published August 16, 2019
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 89 reviews
February 23, 2021
American author Kristen Fulton and German illustrator Torben Kuhlmann join forces in this immensely engaging and informative picture-book about the 1979 escape of the Wetzel and Strelzyk families from communist East Germany to democratic West Germany. Trapped behind the Berlin Wall - according to the afterword, the 1448-kilometer Inner German border wall separating East and West Germany was referred to this way, despite not being in Berlin - these two families longed for the freedom available in the West. After two failed attempts, they made the crossing in a homemade air balloon, on the night of September 16th, 1979, landing in Bavaria, some ten kilometers from the border...
I discovered the existence of Flight for Freedom: The Wetzel Family’s Daring Escape from East Germany because of my love for Torben Kuhlmann's own books, which feature the daring adventures of various mouse characters, and which have been translated into English. In searching for more of his work, I discovered this title, and am very happy to have done so. The story is inspiring, highlighting the bravery of the fleeing families, and the terror of that nighttime flight. The story is narrated by the elder Wetzel son, Peter, who was five years old at the time, and is simply told. More information is given in the detailed afterword, where the reader can learn that there were two failed attempts at creating a working air balloon, before the successful 1979 flight. Some of the more disturbing aspects of the story - the fact that some of the extended Strelzyk family were arrested and jailed back in East Germany after the escape, which was a common tactic of the Stasi, or secret police - are omitted, but one still gets a sense of the threats that surrounded these two families, and how very risky their actions were. Given what little I know of the informant culture of East Germany at the time, I am amazed that the Wetzels and Strelzyks succeeded in escaping! The emotional intensity of this story is greatly heightened by Kuhlmann's accomplished illustrations, which are lovely, and quite expressive, using color and light in gorgeous ways.
This is a book that I would highly recommend to all picture-book readers, not just because it tells an inspirational true story of people who longed for freedom, and who were willing to risk everything to find that freedom, but because I think we are currently suffering from some cultural amnesia here in the west, when it comes to the truly repressive nature of communism. I hear and read many reports these days, of progressive activists praising communism, or declaring themselves Marxists, and I worry for the future. While the atrocities of 20th-century fascism are rightly studied and remembered, I find that the equal if not greater atrocities of communism are often forgotten, except in the countries where they occurred. I have confidence that most American schoolchildren learn about Nazi concentration camps, but have they ever heard of the Soviet Union's gulags? Do they know about China's Cultural Revolution? I was fortunate enough to be raised by progressives who cared about freedom, and who decried the oppressive nature of both fascism and communism - Solzhenitsyn's many-volume The Gulag Archipelago sat on my father's shelves when I was a girl, and I read it as an adolescent - but I wonder about the younger generation, and what they are learning. While this is but one story, it could be used to open up conversations with children about the nature of totalitarian systems, including communism, and the immense human suffering that they cause. For my own part, I intend to track down the movies made from this story - the American The Night Crossing, and the German Ballon - as well as some of author Kristen Fulton's other books. Highly, highly recommended!
I discovered the existence of Flight for Freedom: The Wetzel Family’s Daring Escape from East Germany because of my love for Torben Kuhlmann's own books, which feature the daring adventures of various mouse characters, and which have been translated into English. In searching for more of his work, I discovered this title, and am very happy to have done so. The story is inspiring, highlighting the bravery of the fleeing families, and the terror of that nighttime flight. The story is narrated by the elder Wetzel son, Peter, who was five years old at the time, and is simply told. More information is given in the detailed afterword, where the reader can learn that there were two failed attempts at creating a working air balloon, before the successful 1979 flight. Some of the more disturbing aspects of the story - the fact that some of the extended Strelzyk family were arrested and jailed back in East Germany after the escape, which was a common tactic of the Stasi, or secret police - are omitted, but one still gets a sense of the threats that surrounded these two families, and how very risky their actions were. Given what little I know of the informant culture of East Germany at the time, I am amazed that the Wetzels and Strelzyks succeeded in escaping! The emotional intensity of this story is greatly heightened by Kuhlmann's accomplished illustrations, which are lovely, and quite expressive, using color and light in gorgeous ways.
This is a book that I would highly recommend to all picture-book readers, not just because it tells an inspirational true story of people who longed for freedom, and who were willing to risk everything to find that freedom, but because I think we are currently suffering from some cultural amnesia here in the west, when it comes to the truly repressive nature of communism. I hear and read many reports these days, of progressive activists praising communism, or declaring themselves Marxists, and I worry for the future. While the atrocities of 20th-century fascism are rightly studied and remembered, I find that the equal if not greater atrocities of communism are often forgotten, except in the countries where they occurred. I have confidence that most American schoolchildren learn about Nazi concentration camps, but have they ever heard of the Soviet Union's gulags? Do they know about China's Cultural Revolution? I was fortunate enough to be raised by progressives who cared about freedom, and who decried the oppressive nature of both fascism and communism - Solzhenitsyn's many-volume The Gulag Archipelago sat on my father's shelves when I was a girl, and I read it as an adolescent - but I wonder about the younger generation, and what they are learning. While this is but one story, it could be used to open up conversations with children about the nature of totalitarian systems, including communism, and the immense human suffering that they cause. For my own part, I intend to track down the movies made from this story - the American The Night Crossing, and the German Ballon - as well as some of author Kristen Fulton's other books. Highly, highly recommended!
October 15, 2020
While I have been one to keep up with current events from childhood and understood the significance of the Fall of the Berlin Wall from a wider perspective; it was very useful to read the historical and personal account of the Wetzel's family escape from East Germany. One can get a feel of the sense of heaviness and hopelessness for the future the family members felt living in East Germany. One could feel the sense of tension of how things could still get much worse if they were caught by the police as they made their preparations and how anyone at any time could have betrayed them to the police. There was a constant sense of background tension from the sense of the police being ever present and actively looking for anyone trying to escape or deemed a threatening to the Communist government. Everything was so tightly controlled to the point where no one was allowed to have any pictures of hot air balloons which was the method the Wetzel's used to escape. They had to use their uncommon knowledge of physics and mathematics to calculate how to construct the balloon just right to be able to make the flight high and quick enough over the wall. There was some powerful suspense towards the end when the heating units ran out of fuel and the balloon started going down. The balloon falls down towards the end in front of lights from a car which turn out to be an West German Car instead of the East German police which could be heard closing in on the family as the balloon lifted and the flashlights seen shining in the woods. The woods in West Germany looked the same but a huge turning point when the dad exclaimed the car was a West German one. One can get an even greater appreciation for the advantages of life lived in the West especially through the comparison and contrasting of conditions that happen in the narrative. The family was careful not to tell their story until well after Fall of the Berlin Wall because of the fear of recriminations against friends and family that still lived under the control of the East German Communist government. There is also a precarious sense of how vulnerable our freedoms can be when it was described how people were suddenly cut off from their jobs, friends, and family in West Germany when the Wall was built.
July 23, 2023
Perfekte Umsetzung einer so wichtigen Geschichte! Torben Kuhlmanns Illustrationen haben die melancholische Stimmung des Buches noch einmal verstärkt und mich richtig mitfühlen lassen. Obwohl ich die Geschichte natürlich kenne und weiß wie sie ausgeht, hatte ich richtiges Herzklopfen.
August 7, 2023
A great picture book to introduce your younger crowd to the harrowing escape of the Wetzel and Strelzyk families from East Germany to West Germany. The explanation for the need for an escape was left at a basic level, so some further details (depending on your children’s ages) might be necessary.
And when your kids are a little older, follow up your read by watching the movie Night Crossing which covers this story too.
Nice illustrations!
Ages: 4 - 10
Cleanliness: nothing to note.
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And when your kids are a little older, follow up your read by watching the movie Night Crossing which covers this story too.
Nice illustrations!
Ages: 4 - 10
Cleanliness: nothing to note.
**Like my reviews? Then you should follow me! Because I have hundreds more just like this one. With each review, I provide a Cleanliness Report, mentioning any objectionable content I come across so that parents and/or conscientious readers (like me) can determine beforehand whether they want to read a book or not. Content surprises are super annoying, especially when you’re 100+ pages in, so here’s my attempt to help you avoid that!
So Follow or Friend me here on GoodReads! And be sure to check out my bio page to learn a little about me and the Picture Book/Chapter Book Calendars I sell on Etsy!
January 23, 2023
This nonfiction picture book never actually names communism, which is a total cop-out, but it vividly portrays the differences between life in West Germany and East Germany after WWII, sharing the inspiring story of a family that escaped over the Berlin Wall in a hot air balloon. This is a fascinating, suspenseful story, and it deeply moved me to think about how hard the parents worked and how much fear they lived in to devise this plan and try to give their children a better life.
The illustrations are beautiful, intricate, and historically detailed. I enjoyed poring over the pages to look at all of the different period details represented, and would recommend this both for the story and the artistry. This is a very beautiful book, and the detailed, creative pictures visualize for children the contrast between the prosperity and peace in the West and the deprivation and fear in the East at that time.
At the end of the book, there are historical notes that provide additional context and background for the story. Personally, I think that some of this explanation should have preceded the story, since even adult Americans often lack this background knowledge and don't understand the social and political realities in postwar Germany. The additional content in the back helps to explain the story, but I believe that it would have been helpful for some of it to appear as context and set-up.
My one significant disappointment with this book is that the author never explicitly names or denounces communism. She refers to incredibly challenging political and economic realities, but she doesn't identify the ideology behind them. In recent years, people in the West have become increasingly enamored with communism, choosing not to recognize the death toll and the weight of human suffering that have always followed this ideology. Since so few Americans truly understand the realities of communism throughout history, I wish that this book had more explicitly addressed the subject for children and for unaware adult readers.
However, I am glad that this book accomplishes as much as it does, and I hope that it will make people more aware and more interested in this time period and topic. There are very few children's books that address the realities of postwar Germany and the Berlin Wall, and this book does so in a direct, accurate, personal, and inspiring way.
The illustrations are beautiful, intricate, and historically detailed. I enjoyed poring over the pages to look at all of the different period details represented, and would recommend this both for the story and the artistry. This is a very beautiful book, and the detailed, creative pictures visualize for children the contrast between the prosperity and peace in the West and the deprivation and fear in the East at that time.
At the end of the book, there are historical notes that provide additional context and background for the story. Personally, I think that some of this explanation should have preceded the story, since even adult Americans often lack this background knowledge and don't understand the social and political realities in postwar Germany. The additional content in the back helps to explain the story, but I believe that it would have been helpful for some of it to appear as context and set-up.
My one significant disappointment with this book is that the author never explicitly names or denounces communism. She refers to incredibly challenging political and economic realities, but she doesn't identify the ideology behind them. In recent years, people in the West have become increasingly enamored with communism, choosing not to recognize the death toll and the weight of human suffering that have always followed this ideology. Since so few Americans truly understand the realities of communism throughout history, I wish that this book had more explicitly addressed the subject for children and for unaware adult readers.
However, I am glad that this book accomplishes as much as it does, and I hope that it will make people more aware and more interested in this time period and topic. There are very few children's books that address the realities of postwar Germany and the Berlin Wall, and this book does so in a direct, accurate, personal, and inspiring way.
July 21, 2020
Outstanding. You can't miss with this story and even though you know the happy ending, your heart is in your throat!
May 15, 2025
We loved it and will treasure this story! Beautifully illustrated story of the courage of 2 families who designed and made a hot air balloon to flew them over the Berlin Wall in 1979!
The story might seem a little short but it is supplemented by extra information at the end, including photos of the actual balloon and gondola, a little history of the Berlin Wall and how the author tracked down the father who still lives in Germany with his family!
The story might seem a little short but it is supplemented by extra information at the end, including photos of the actual balloon and gondola, a little history of the Berlin Wall and how the author tracked down the father who still lives in Germany with his family!
May 23, 2022
#cărțipentrucopii
#ficțiuneistorică
Zbor către libertate. Îndrăzneața evadare a familiei Wetzel.
După cel de-al doilea Război Mondial, Germania a fost împărțită între puterile învingătoare, Aliații. Vestul să fie controlat de Marea Britanie, Statele Unite și Franța, în timp ce Estul de Uniunea Sovietică.
Granița internă a Germaniei a fost construită în 1945, iar Zidul Berlinului în 1961, ambele fiind ridicate în perioada cunoscută drept Razboiul Rece. Când a fost finalizat zidul, șaptesprezece milioane de oameni au rămas închiși în sptalele lui. Viață s-a schimbat brusc pentru est-germani. Nu aveau voie sa părăsească țara, multe familii au fost despărțite, iar est-germanii care lucrasera în Germania de Vest au ajuns șomeri.
Dorința de a le oferi copiilor o viață în siguranță, o viață mai bună le-a determinat pe cele două familii să-și riște viața și să caute o cale de evadare.
Cum le-a venit ideea?
Credeți că au reușit din prima?
Când a fost daramat Zidul Berlinului?
https://youtu.be/IG3s1k1go2E
Răspunsurile la aceste întrebări le găsiți în recenzia de pe blog https://sclipiridestele.ro/2022/05/23....
#ficțiuneistorică
Zbor către libertate. Îndrăzneața evadare a familiei Wetzel.
După cel de-al doilea Război Mondial, Germania a fost împărțită între puterile învingătoare, Aliații. Vestul să fie controlat de Marea Britanie, Statele Unite și Franța, în timp ce Estul de Uniunea Sovietică.
Granița internă a Germaniei a fost construită în 1945, iar Zidul Berlinului în 1961, ambele fiind ridicate în perioada cunoscută drept Razboiul Rece. Când a fost finalizat zidul, șaptesprezece milioane de oameni au rămas închiși în sptalele lui. Viață s-a schimbat brusc pentru est-germani. Nu aveau voie sa părăsească țara, multe familii au fost despărțite, iar est-germanii care lucrasera în Germania de Vest au ajuns șomeri.
Dorința de a le oferi copiilor o viață în siguranță, o viață mai bună le-a determinat pe cele două familii să-și riște viața și să caute o cale de evadare.
Cum le-a venit ideea?
Credeți că au reușit din prima?
Când a fost daramat Zidul Berlinului?
https://youtu.be/IG3s1k1go2E
Răspunsurile la aceste întrebări le găsiți în recenzia de pe blog https://sclipiridestele.ro/2022/05/23....
March 14, 2022
I adore this story! Based on a true story of a family who made a homemade hot air balloon to escape the East German tyranny! There’s also a movie called Night Crossing made in 1982! My kids loved this movie and the book is wonderful also
June 15, 2023
Amazing true story!
September 19, 2020
The Cold War is all but foreign to many young people these days and so when I find children's literature on the topic, I am very interested. Last year, I had the pleasure of hearing author Jennifer Nielsen speak to middle schoolers. She wrote The Night Divided, a great juvenile historical fic on a girl and her family escaping the Berlin Wall. During her speech, she shared the true story of people escaping the Wall by hot air balloon. I thought, "what a cool story." Fast foward almost a year later, and I am cataloging Flight for Freedom and I immediately recognize the story. It is a pretty remarkable story and readers cannot help but marvel at the intelligence and courage of the Wentzels and the Strelzyks. The illustrations look almost real with the characters resembling the real Wentzels. There are notes at the end, offering further information on the balloon designing, escape attempts, and the Berlin Wall.
Great for: 2nd grade and up
Teaches: history, courage
Great for: 2nd grade and up
Teaches: history, courage
April 3, 2021
I have always been fascinated by this story. In 7th grade, I watched the movie "Night Crossing" about the Wetzel and Strelzyk families escaping East Germany in a hot air balloon. I thought the movie was amazing. And this picture book biography is quite good as well.
It is told from the perspective of Peter Wetzel-- the seven-year-old son of Gunter and Petra Wetzel. Because of this, you don't get many details of how the balloon was built, but the author includes the whole story at the back of the book.
If you don't know the story, I highly recommend reading this book or watching the movie "Night Crossing." It is an incredible story.
It is told from the perspective of Peter Wetzel-- the seven-year-old son of Gunter and Petra Wetzel. Because of this, you don't get many details of how the balloon was built, but the author includes the whole story at the back of the book.
If you don't know the story, I highly recommend reading this book or watching the movie "Night Crossing." It is an incredible story.
Read
January 17, 2025This book is a glimpse from the perspective of a child into what some were willing to do to gain freedom. I can't imagine trying to acquire materials, make the needed calculations, do the needed planning, get the required work completed, and keep up with all that such a life required. I enjoyed the story itself as well as the added details at the end of the book that give deeper insight into what the families experienced.
October 27, 2025
I've been captivated by this incredible true story ever since I watched the movie Night Crossing as a kid. We just learned about the Cold War and the Berlin Wall in our modern history unit, so this was a perfect book to go along with it. I appreciated the information provided at the end of the book about the families' efforts and eventual successful escape.
September 11, 2020
This picture book had me on the edge of my seat, as the family tries to escape East Germany in a hot air balloon. Would be an exciting read aloud. (Library)
April 29, 2023
Very lovely illustrated book about the famous escape from East-Germany to West-Germany by a self-made balloon.
May 23, 2025
Love this one. A true story about a family that escaped communist East Germany with a hot air balloon that they made. The illustrations are beautiful.
December 17, 2025
Great Story! Even though this is a picture book it is informational and interesting for any age.
December 26, 2023
Everything about this book is amazing. The way the Wetzel's escaped from East Germany, the storytelling, the illustrations - everything is simply amazing.
December 30, 2020
I only put kids books on my GoodReads if they are really good and this is. I loved it from the storytelling to the artwork. I think it’s important for kids and adults to understand what the East German people went through in order to prevent it from happening again. I would love to see a longer and more detailed book about this escape over the Berlin Wall for adult or young adult readers. It’s very interesting.
January 12, 2021
Several years ago my family and I watched the movie Night Crossing by Disney, about two families, living in the 1970s, who escaped from Soviet West Germany in hot air balloon. I was looking around for any books about the escape and came across this account written for kids
Flight for Freedom by Kriston Fulton is written giving a child's perspective. Little 6 year old Peter Wetzel knows about the plan to try to escape East Germany in a hot air balloon. He understands the seriousness of the situation as he watches his parents and the other adults plan and orchestrate the escape.
It is written quite simply, conveying the story simply enough for children to follow along. "Each morning when Peter woke, he expected to find proof that his parents were building a balloon. But, the house was exactly as it had been the day before. Everything hidden. Everything quiet. Peter wondered if it had been only a dream. Would he ever escape East Germany? Have a sleepover? Not be afraid? He wanted to ask his mama and papa, but they had made him promise never to talk about the picture. Hard as it was, Peter kept his promise." The illustrations help carry the story along, and are very well done, interesting to look at.
I found the 'more information' parts at the back particularly intriguing (and they helped satisfy my craving for more grown-up information about the escape). There you find that the Wetzel and Strelzyk families made three hot-air balloons altogether, the first two didn't work, the third did. It also tells about some the experiments they did to get the hot air balloon to work, as apparently all they really had to go off of was a picture of a hot air balloon, they had to figure out how to build it and how it worked all on their own: "After testing the porosity of several fabrics using a vacuum cleaner hose, among other materials found at home, they settled on nylon - a sturdy, lightweight material that also has a high melting temperature. Because acquiring large quantities of nylon was both challenging and dangerous (as it could be seen as suspicious by East German authorities), they also used other fabrics such as bedsheets and shower lining." Also, if I remember correctly, the Disney movie makes it seem as though the Wetzel family pretty much gave up escaping altogether, but this book explains that they were concerned about the safety of the balloon and decided to find another way to escape, before eventually rejoining the Strelziks.
My little brother is reading through the book, he likes the pictures and asks questions (and makes comments) about what he reads. It's a very good teaching tool that can get conversations going with children about the different types of governmental systems and which one offers more freedom for individual people.
All in all, this is a nice teaching resource to have for kids.
Many thanks to the folks at Chronicle Books for sending me a free review copy of this book! My review did not have to be favorable.
Flight for Freedom by Kriston Fulton is written giving a child's perspective. Little 6 year old Peter Wetzel knows about the plan to try to escape East Germany in a hot air balloon. He understands the seriousness of the situation as he watches his parents and the other adults plan and orchestrate the escape.
It is written quite simply, conveying the story simply enough for children to follow along. "Each morning when Peter woke, he expected to find proof that his parents were building a balloon. But, the house was exactly as it had been the day before. Everything hidden. Everything quiet. Peter wondered if it had been only a dream. Would he ever escape East Germany? Have a sleepover? Not be afraid? He wanted to ask his mama and papa, but they had made him promise never to talk about the picture. Hard as it was, Peter kept his promise." The illustrations help carry the story along, and are very well done, interesting to look at.
I found the 'more information' parts at the back particularly intriguing (and they helped satisfy my craving for more grown-up information about the escape). There you find that the Wetzel and Strelzyk families made three hot-air balloons altogether, the first two didn't work, the third did. It also tells about some the experiments they did to get the hot air balloon to work, as apparently all they really had to go off of was a picture of a hot air balloon, they had to figure out how to build it and how it worked all on their own: "After testing the porosity of several fabrics using a vacuum cleaner hose, among other materials found at home, they settled on nylon - a sturdy, lightweight material that also has a high melting temperature. Because acquiring large quantities of nylon was both challenging and dangerous (as it could be seen as suspicious by East German authorities), they also used other fabrics such as bedsheets and shower lining." Also, if I remember correctly, the Disney movie makes it seem as though the Wetzel family pretty much gave up escaping altogether, but this book explains that they were concerned about the safety of the balloon and decided to find another way to escape, before eventually rejoining the Strelziks.
My little brother is reading through the book, he likes the pictures and asks questions (and makes comments) about what he reads. It's a very good teaching tool that can get conversations going with children about the different types of governmental systems and which one offers more freedom for individual people.
All in all, this is a nice teaching resource to have for kids.
Many thanks to the folks at Chronicle Books for sending me a free review copy of this book! My review did not have to be favorable.
March 13, 2020
This is a well done telling of bravery and determination during a difficult point in German history, which is sure to leave an imprint with young readers.
The wall separated Germany into two very different states: one had freedom, the other stood under tyrannic control. A little boy on the eastern side discovers a picture under his parents' mattress of a hot air balloon. Possession of this picture means arrest. So, he keeps quite as his parents slowly gather materials and plan their escape over the wall and to the freedom of the other side of Germany beyond.
Having lived over twenty years in Germany and raising a family there, I was already well aware of this story, the circumstances and the history surrounding it. This book does a very good job at bringing life in East Germany across in a quick way young readers will understand and makes the stakes clear while staying in a child appropriate realm. The danger is clear as well as the daring of this family. The text is also age appropriate and brings across what this type of escape meant nicely.
The illustrations hold well to the German style and present it with a historical atmosphere, which still lures children in. The fearful moments are brought across very well as well as the surroundings, allowing the details and scenes to come across with fairly nice historical accuracy.
As to the book in total, I see this more appropriate for the upper end of the intended age group, and then, only interesting with surrounding context. The author does add several pages of more detailed information and background at the end, which is very interesting and fills in whatever holes might exist. However, this section is only for older readers and won't fit well with the younger age group in this style. This book works better when slid in with the theme of WWII and German segregation. I hate to admit it, but there are very few children of this age group who will know what WWII was about...let alone the Berlin Wall or divided Germany (here, in the United States, of course). So, when using this book, there will need to be discussions with the listeners beforehand and afterwards. Otherwise, they won't know the context. But taking this into consideration, this book definitely does a great job at it's theme...and I can only recommend it and am sure young listeners will be left with food for thought.
I received a complimentary copy and found this so wonderfully done that I'm leaving my honest thoughts.
The wall separated Germany into two very different states: one had freedom, the other stood under tyrannic control. A little boy on the eastern side discovers a picture under his parents' mattress of a hot air balloon. Possession of this picture means arrest. So, he keeps quite as his parents slowly gather materials and plan their escape over the wall and to the freedom of the other side of Germany beyond.
Having lived over twenty years in Germany and raising a family there, I was already well aware of this story, the circumstances and the history surrounding it. This book does a very good job at bringing life in East Germany across in a quick way young readers will understand and makes the stakes clear while staying in a child appropriate realm. The danger is clear as well as the daring of this family. The text is also age appropriate and brings across what this type of escape meant nicely.
The illustrations hold well to the German style and present it with a historical atmosphere, which still lures children in. The fearful moments are brought across very well as well as the surroundings, allowing the details and scenes to come across with fairly nice historical accuracy.
As to the book in total, I see this more appropriate for the upper end of the intended age group, and then, only interesting with surrounding context. The author does add several pages of more detailed information and background at the end, which is very interesting and fills in whatever holes might exist. However, this section is only for older readers and won't fit well with the younger age group in this style. This book works better when slid in with the theme of WWII and German segregation. I hate to admit it, but there are very few children of this age group who will know what WWII was about...let alone the Berlin Wall or divided Germany (here, in the United States, of course). So, when using this book, there will need to be discussions with the listeners beforehand and afterwards. Otherwise, they won't know the context. But taking this into consideration, this book definitely does a great job at it's theme...and I can only recommend it and am sure young listeners will be left with food for thought.
I received a complimentary copy and found this so wonderfully done that I'm leaving my honest thoughts.
June 23, 2021
Amazing! Baik kisah maupun ilustrasinya (Torben Kuhlmann gitu lho).
Berkisah tentang keluarga Wetzel dan Strelzyk yang pada tahun 1979 berusaha melarikan diri dari Jerman Timur ke Jerman Barat menggunakan balon udara. Ya, Anda nggak salah baca, dengan balon udara.
Cerita ditulis berdasar kisah nyata dengan Peter, putra sulung keluarga Wetzel, yang menjadi penggerak cerita. Berawal ada tahun 1978, ketika Peter melihat ayah ibunya berbincang dengan keluarga Strelzyk dan mereka merencanakan sebuah rencana. Mereka membicarakan tentang ratusan meter kain, bensin, hingga besi untuk membuat sebuah kotak besar. Berbulan-bulan Peter melihat ibunya membeli kain sedikit demi sedikit, dan ayahnya membeli bensin, juga sedikit demi sedikit. Peter juga pernah mengintip, tiap malam ayahnya menjahit kain tersebut di kamar atap.
Suatu hari, Peter penasaran dan bertanya. Ayah ibunya menceritakan rencana mereka dan meminta Peter merahasiakannya. Hingga pada 16 September 1970, di malam hari ayah ibunya membangunkan Peter dari tidur. Itulah saat mereka melaksanakan rahasia tersebut: melarikan diri dari Jerman Timur menuju Jerman Barat dengan menggunakan balon udara.
Apakah mereka berhasil mencapai Jerman Barat, setelah bensin yang digunakan sedikit demi sedikit habis digunakan untuk terbang setinggi 8.000 feet (2.438 meter) dan jarak 15 mil (24 km)?
Penulis dengan menarik menggambarkan usaha melarikan diri keluarga Wetzel dan Strelzyk. Saya ikut deg-degan saat Stasi (polisi Jerman Timur) mencium rencana mereka dan mengejar mobil mereka yang membawa gondola, balon udara, serta beberapa drum bensin. Juga deg-degan saat bensin sedikit demi sedikit habis sementara mereka tida tahu pasti apakah posisi mereka saat itu telah di jerman Barat atau masih di Jerman Timur. Saya juga jadi membaca-baca kembali tentang Perang Dingin AS/Inggris vs Sovyet yang berujung pada pemisahan Jerman Timur-Jerman Barat serta pembangunan Tembok Berlin. Meski penulis menyelipkan informasi tambahan di akhir cerita mengenai hal tersebut, serta beberapa foto asli balon udara dan kejadian yang menyertai.
Yang jelas sih jatuh cinta banget dengan ilustrasi Kuhlmann. Jadi pengen banget baca bukunya, Edison dan Armstrong.
Berkisah tentang keluarga Wetzel dan Strelzyk yang pada tahun 1979 berusaha melarikan diri dari Jerman Timur ke Jerman Barat menggunakan balon udara. Ya, Anda nggak salah baca, dengan balon udara.
Cerita ditulis berdasar kisah nyata dengan Peter, putra sulung keluarga Wetzel, yang menjadi penggerak cerita. Berawal ada tahun 1978, ketika Peter melihat ayah ibunya berbincang dengan keluarga Strelzyk dan mereka merencanakan sebuah rencana. Mereka membicarakan tentang ratusan meter kain, bensin, hingga besi untuk membuat sebuah kotak besar. Berbulan-bulan Peter melihat ibunya membeli kain sedikit demi sedikit, dan ayahnya membeli bensin, juga sedikit demi sedikit. Peter juga pernah mengintip, tiap malam ayahnya menjahit kain tersebut di kamar atap.
Suatu hari, Peter penasaran dan bertanya. Ayah ibunya menceritakan rencana mereka dan meminta Peter merahasiakannya. Hingga pada 16 September 1970, di malam hari ayah ibunya membangunkan Peter dari tidur. Itulah saat mereka melaksanakan rahasia tersebut: melarikan diri dari Jerman Timur menuju Jerman Barat dengan menggunakan balon udara.
Apakah mereka berhasil mencapai Jerman Barat, setelah bensin yang digunakan sedikit demi sedikit habis digunakan untuk terbang setinggi 8.000 feet (2.438 meter) dan jarak 15 mil (24 km)?
Penulis dengan menarik menggambarkan usaha melarikan diri keluarga Wetzel dan Strelzyk. Saya ikut deg-degan saat Stasi (polisi Jerman Timur) mencium rencana mereka dan mengejar mobil mereka yang membawa gondola, balon udara, serta beberapa drum bensin. Juga deg-degan saat bensin sedikit demi sedikit habis sementara mereka tida tahu pasti apakah posisi mereka saat itu telah di jerman Barat atau masih di Jerman Timur. Saya juga jadi membaca-baca kembali tentang Perang Dingin AS/Inggris vs Sovyet yang berujung pada pemisahan Jerman Timur-Jerman Barat serta pembangunan Tembok Berlin. Meski penulis menyelipkan informasi tambahan di akhir cerita mengenai hal tersebut, serta beberapa foto asli balon udara dan kejadian yang menyertai.
Yang jelas sih jatuh cinta banget dengan ilustrasi Kuhlmann. Jadi pengen banget baca bukunya, Edison dan Armstrong.
April 12, 2020
A true tale of a daring escape from Eastern Germany to Western Germany, set during the Cold War.
Six-year-old Peter and his family live in the repressive Eastern Germany of the 1970's. One day, he finds a contraband photograph of a hot air balloon hidden under his parents' mattress. This clues him into the great escape being planned by his parents and their friends. Together, they worked and managed to get to freedom in the West.
Fulton resists embellishing this story, instead telling it in a straightforward manner, as there is plenty of drama in it as is. The tension builds until it is released. The endsheets map out the area that the family flew. Notes in the back describe the balloon constructed for this purpose, information about two failed attempts, an author's note about interviewing the father, and a brief overview about "The Cold War and the Berlin Wall". Interestingly, Fulton never mentions the inner German border wall as part of the "Iron Curtain" originally built in 1945 with sections of concrete and other sections of barbed wire (most of which was replaced with concrete walls beginning in 1952).
Torben Kuhlman's stunning watercolor(?) and color pencil(?) illustrations are dark and full of tension, as much of the action takes place at night. He makes great use of light.
A fine addition to units on the Cold War and escaping repressive regimes.
Highly recommended for grades 3-8.
Six-year-old Peter and his family live in the repressive Eastern Germany of the 1970's. One day, he finds a contraband photograph of a hot air balloon hidden under his parents' mattress. This clues him into the great escape being planned by his parents and their friends. Together, they worked and managed to get to freedom in the West.
Fulton resists embellishing this story, instead telling it in a straightforward manner, as there is plenty of drama in it as is. The tension builds until it is released. The endsheets map out the area that the family flew. Notes in the back describe the balloon constructed for this purpose, information about two failed attempts, an author's note about interviewing the father, and a brief overview about "The Cold War and the Berlin Wall". Interestingly, Fulton never mentions the inner German border wall as part of the "Iron Curtain" originally built in 1945 with sections of concrete and other sections of barbed wire (most of which was replaced with concrete walls beginning in 1952).
Torben Kuhlman's stunning watercolor(?) and color pencil(?) illustrations are dark and full of tension, as much of the action takes place at night. He makes great use of light.
A fine addition to units on the Cold War and escaping repressive regimes.
Highly recommended for grades 3-8.
November 4, 2020
Quick. Make a list of all the ways someone might escape from East Germany during the Cold War…
Did you have ‘balloon flight’ on your list? I didn’t either, until I read this incredible account of not only one, but two families who made their escape in a home-made hot-air balloon!
This event is made accessible to middle elementary readers as historical fiction with clear but informative sentences and limited text on each page. The reader is introduced to young Peter Wetzel and how he lives with the differences between life in the East and West. The events leading up to the final escape attempt and the escape are told through Peter’s eyes. Upper elementary readers would find this an easy to understand account of a dramatic true event.
Realistic photos, some double-pages spreads and some single, with dark, shadowed tones appropriate to the confinement and night time escape. A map of their route from East Germany to West appears on the end pages. Back matter includes information on how their balloon was made and functioned, author notes, photos of the actual balloon and landing site sign, and the Cold War and the Berlin Wall.
Highly recommended for all post-WWII collections and historical fiction shelves. This could be used with middle to upper elementary readers as an introduction to the Cold War, personal narrative writing lessons, or historical fiction examples.
Did you have ‘balloon flight’ on your list? I didn’t either, until I read this incredible account of not only one, but two families who made their escape in a home-made hot-air balloon!
This event is made accessible to middle elementary readers as historical fiction with clear but informative sentences and limited text on each page. The reader is introduced to young Peter Wetzel and how he lives with the differences between life in the East and West. The events leading up to the final escape attempt and the escape are told through Peter’s eyes. Upper elementary readers would find this an easy to understand account of a dramatic true event.
Realistic photos, some double-pages spreads and some single, with dark, shadowed tones appropriate to the confinement and night time escape. A map of their route from East Germany to West appears on the end pages. Back matter includes information on how their balloon was made and functioned, author notes, photos of the actual balloon and landing site sign, and the Cold War and the Berlin Wall.
Highly recommended for all post-WWII collections and historical fiction shelves. This could be used with middle to upper elementary readers as an introduction to the Cold War, personal narrative writing lessons, or historical fiction examples.
August 22, 2023
If you're as old as I am, you'll remember that Germany was divided into East Germany and West Germany after WWII with a wall, and people died trying to escape from East Germany over or under that wall. This is the true story of two families who succeeded.
This is well written and will be very accessible to young children from PreK and up. Fulton wisely told this story from the POV of the young Wetzel son, which makes it gripping, but not TOO scary, because his parents, like all good parents, shielded him from exactly how dangerous this endeavor was. It's amazing to me to think that back in the 70s, not that long ago, this happened. These people were brave enough and desperate enough to do this. They sewed the balloon from carefully gathered nylon, they welded the platform together in secret, and they assembled and operated this hot air balloon with no previous experience of operating a hot air balloon.
Fulton interviewed Peter Wetzel so most of this story is from his memory, plus any news accounts from that time. In the author's note at the end she shares photos of the family.
Of course (leaving the best for last here!) the main reason I read this picture book was for the art! Torben Kuhlmann is a genius!!! Some of these pages are so gorgeous, it's mind-blowing.
This is well written and will be very accessible to young children from PreK and up. Fulton wisely told this story from the POV of the young Wetzel son, which makes it gripping, but not TOO scary, because his parents, like all good parents, shielded him from exactly how dangerous this endeavor was. It's amazing to me to think that back in the 70s, not that long ago, this happened. These people were brave enough and desperate enough to do this. They sewed the balloon from carefully gathered nylon, they welded the platform together in secret, and they assembled and operated this hot air balloon with no previous experience of operating a hot air balloon.
Fulton interviewed Peter Wetzel so most of this story is from his memory, plus any news accounts from that time. In the author's note at the end she shares photos of the family.
Of course (leaving the best for last here!) the main reason I read this picture book was for the art! Torben Kuhlmann is a genius!!! Some of these pages are so gorgeous, it's mind-blowing.
September 15, 2021
A picture book biography of the Wetzels, what life in East Germany was like for them, and how they and another family made a hot air balloon and escaped to the West.
I remember seeing a movie about these family's escape in elementary school, which I now realize would've been just a few years after these families made it over the Wall. The picture book does a great job of relaying the basics of the difference between life in East and West Germany, and extensive back matter includes a lot more information on why the Berlin Wall went up, why people tried to escape over (and under) it, various methods that worked, and why the Wetzels didn't really open up about their escape until recently. The picture book biography part is approachable for lower grades, while the extensive back matter makes this a good resource up into middle grades. The artwork is a feast for the eyes too. Highly recommended.
Notes on content: Peril is communicated without really talking about how the East Germans would kill people for escape attempts. They only talk about potentially being arrested and separated from family members.
I remember seeing a movie about these family's escape in elementary school, which I now realize would've been just a few years after these families made it over the Wall. The picture book does a great job of relaying the basics of the difference between life in East and West Germany, and extensive back matter includes a lot more information on why the Berlin Wall went up, why people tried to escape over (and under) it, various methods that worked, and why the Wetzels didn't really open up about their escape until recently. The picture book biography part is approachable for lower grades, while the extensive back matter makes this a good resource up into middle grades. The artwork is a feast for the eyes too. Highly recommended.
Notes on content: Peril is communicated without really talking about how the East Germans would kill people for escape attempts. They only talk about potentially being arrested and separated from family members.
July 23, 2020
I am so glad to finally see multiple children’s books that deal with life behind the iron curtain. I have to assume is partly because the waves of immigrants from those former Soviet satellite states have had time to settle in and tell some of their stories. It is always disconcerting when the foundational conditions of your early life shift dramatically. Somehow it is even more alarming when a few decades on it is as if those circumstances never existed. The limits on personal freedom and the absurd cruelties in the name of a grand political experiment that trapped millions behind the iron curtain is not something we should forget.
This is a great story without any of the preceding didacticism. Two East German families in the late 70’s are determined to escape across the border. They carefully gather prohibited supplies and build a hot air balloon. The excitement of a family project and the danger of a nighttime escape will engage children and may get them thinking about freedoms they take for granted.
This is a great story without any of the preceding didacticism. Two East German families in the late 70’s are determined to escape across the border. They carefully gather prohibited supplies and build a hot air balloon. The excitement of a family project and the danger of a nighttime escape will engage children and may get them thinking about freedoms they take for granted.
May 10, 2023
Captivating and beautifully illustrated non-fiction about escape from East Germany in a hot air balloon. "Flight for Freedom" reads like a story rather than a historical text and includes maps of the flight path on the end pages and additional information about constructing the balloon and multiple escape attempts in the afterward.
The boys are 9 and 12, and it's been some time since we've read picture books together. My oldest son re-discovered "The Dangerous Alphabet" by Neil Gaiman and Gris Grimly at the beginning of May and asked me to read it to him. Now we're revisiting all of our favorite picture books. I love well written and/or illustrated children's books, and hope the boys are never to old for stories with pictures.
This book qualifies as part of my Year Of Visual Art initiative. Torben Kuhlmann is one of my favorite illustrators! His lovely watercolors do an excellent job of enhancing the story experience and setting the tone.
The boys are 9 and 12, and it's been some time since we've read picture books together. My oldest son re-discovered "The Dangerous Alphabet" by Neil Gaiman and Gris Grimly at the beginning of May and asked me to read it to him. Now we're revisiting all of our favorite picture books. I love well written and/or illustrated children's books, and hope the boys are never to old for stories with pictures.
This book qualifies as part of my Year Of Visual Art initiative. Torben Kuhlmann is one of my favorite illustrators! His lovely watercolors do an excellent job of enhancing the story experience and setting the tone.
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