WHERE THE BALLOONS GO

Name: WHERE THE BALLOONS GO
Author: Peilin Chou

by Peilin Chou Brittany Bartolanzo ‧ RELEASE DATE: N/A

Although this whimsical tale may comfort toddlers missing their balloons, some eco-conscious parents may object to its...

bookshelf

Author Chou and illustrator Bartolanzo offer this charming tale of a floating boy who follows his lost balloon.

Although Cooper, a boy born floating, usually wears special lead boots to keep him on the ground, when his very first balloon escapes him, he floats up to catch it. Without a way to come back to earth, Cooper floats away from his parents and into the sky. But though he doesn’t know where he is, the balloon seems to have a destination in mind. Soon Cooper is in the midst of hundreds of lost balloons. He discovers a fantastic building where Newton, the Keeper of the Rainbow, collects all of them. According to Newton, the rainbow is alive, and “all of these balloons, like the one you brought today, they are what keep it alive.” Newton explains that without the rainbow, there would be no color in the world, and even better, the rainbow can grant wishes by sending those lost balloons back to earth. After helping grant a few wishes with Newton, Cooper sees his parents are wishing him home. With Newton’s help, Cooper is able to return to them, and every so often, he sends a balloon into the sky on purpose to keep the rainbow alive. Bartolanzo’s depictions of Cooper are enchanting: in one conversation with Newton, Cooper is sitting cross-legged in the air, capturing the floating boy’s energy. The lost balloons and the arc of the rainbow are brilliantly portrayed in full color. Chou’s story itself is long on imagination but short on logic; even young readers will be able to poke holes in the idea that lost balloons are responsible for the world’s color. In addition, the tale carries an unfortunate message that encourages kids to send their balloons flying despite the potential environmental risks.

Although this whimsical tale may comfort toddlers missing their balloons, some eco-conscious parents may object to its premise.

Pub Date: N/A

ISBN: N/A

Page Count: -

Publisher: Outskirts Press Inc.

Review Posted Online: Sept. 15, 2015

Review Program: Kirkus Indie

bookshelf

FAMILIES BELONG

by Dan Saks ; illustrated by Brooke Smart ‧ RELEASE DATE: Sept. 1, 2020

A joyful celebration.

bookshelf

Families in a variety of configurations play, dance, and celebrate together.

The rhymed verse, based on a song from the Noodle Loaf children’s podcast, declares that “Families belong / Together like a puzzle / Different-sized people / One big snuggle.” The accompanying image shows an interracial couple of caregivers (one with brown skin and one pale) cuddling with a pajama-clad toddler with light brown skin and surrounded by two cats and a dog. Subsequent pages show a wide array of families with members of many different racial presentations engaging in bike and bus rides, indoor dance parties, and more. In some, readers see only one caregiver: a father or a grandparent, perhaps. One same-sex couple with two children in tow are expecting another child. Smart’s illustrations are playful and expressive, curating the most joyful moments of family life. The verse, punctuated by the word together, frequently set in oversized font, is gently inclusive at its best but may trip up readers with its irregular rhythms. The song that inspired the book can be found on the Noodle Loaf website.

A joyful celebration. (Board book. 1-3)

Pub Date: Sept. 1, 2020

ISBN: 978-0-593-22276-8

Page Count: 24

Publisher: Rise x Penguin Workshop

Review Posted Online: Nov. 26, 2020

Kirkus Reviews Issue: Dec. 15, 2020

Categories:

CHILDREN'S FAMILY | CHILDREN'S SOCIAL THEMES

- BOOK REVIEW
WE SHARE THIS SCHOOL
by Dan Saks ; illustrated by Brooke Smart

- BOOK REVIEW
FAMILIES GROW
by Dan Saks ; illustrated by Brooke Smart

- BOOK REVIEW
FAMILIES CAN
by Dan Saks ; illustrated by Brooke Smart

bookshelf

OTIS

From the Otis series

by Loren Long & illustrated by Loren Long ‧ RELEASE DATE: Sept. 1, 2009

bookshelf

Continuing to find inspiration in the work of Virginia Lee Burton, Munro Leaf and other illustrators of the past, Long (The Little Engine That Could, 2005) offers an aw-shucks friendship tale that features a small but hardworking tractor (“putt puff puttedy chuff”) with a Little Toot–style face and a big-eared young descendant of Ferdinand the bull who gets stuck in deep, gooey mud. After the big new yellow tractor, crowds of overalls-clad locals and a red fire engine all fail to pull her out, the little tractor (who had been left behind the barn to rust after the arrival of the new tractor) comes putt-puff-puttedy-chuff-ing down the hill to entice his terrified bovine buddy successfully back to dry ground. Short on internal logic but long on creamy scenes of calf and tractor either gamboling energetically with a gaggle of McCloskey-like geese through neutral-toned fields or resting peacefully in the shade of a gnarled tree (apple, not cork), the episode will certainly draw nostalgic adults. Considering the author’s track record and influences, it may find a welcome from younger audiences too. (Picture book. 5-8)