Flight for Freedom
The Wetzel Family's Daring Escape from East Germany

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 th......more

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......more

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.......more

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. An......more

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 fascinati......more