Download high-resolution image Look inside
Listen to a clip from the audiobook
audio pause button
0:00
0:00

The Twenty-One Balloons (Puffin Modern Classics)

Look inside
Listen to a clip from the audiobook
audio pause button
0:00
0:00
A Newbery Medal Winner

Professor William Waterman Sherman intends to fly across the Pacific Ocean. But through a twist of fate, he lands on Krakatoa, and discovers a world of unimaginable wealth, eccentric inhabitants, and incredible balloon inventions.Winner of the 1948 Newbery Medal, this classic fantasy-adventure is now available in a handsome new edition.


"William Pene du Bois combines his rich imagination, scientific tastes, and brilliant artistry to tell astory that has no age limit."—The Horn Book
  • WINNER
    Newbery Medal Winner
An absurd and fantastic tale. . . . Truth and fiction are cleverly mingled. (School Library Journal)
William Pène du Bois (1916–1993) was an American writer and illustrator who is best remembered for his books for young readers. He was one of the founders of The Paris Review and illustrated books by Jules Verne, John Steinbeck, Isaac Bashevis Singer, Charlotte Zolotow, and others. He won the 1948 Newbery Medal for The Twenty-One Balloons and received two Caldecott Honors for his illustrations for Bear Party and LionView titles by William Pene du Bois

About

A Newbery Medal Winner

Professor William Waterman Sherman intends to fly across the Pacific Ocean. But through a twist of fate, he lands on Krakatoa, and discovers a world of unimaginable wealth, eccentric inhabitants, and incredible balloon inventions.Winner of the 1948 Newbery Medal, this classic fantasy-adventure is now available in a handsome new edition.


"William Pene du Bois combines his rich imagination, scientific tastes, and brilliant artistry to tell astory that has no age limit."—The Horn Book

Awards

  • WINNER
    Newbery Medal Winner

Reviews

An absurd and fantastic tale. . . . Truth and fiction are cleverly mingled. (School Library Journal)

Author

William Pène du Bois (1916–1993) was an American writer and illustrator who is best remembered for his books for young readers. He was one of the founders of The Paris Review and illustrated books by Jules Verne, John Steinbeck, Isaac Bashevis Singer, Charlotte Zolotow, and others. He won the 1948 Newbery Medal for The Twenty-One Balloons and received two Caldecott Honors for his illustrations for Bear Party and LionView titles by William Pene du Bois