Emily's Balloon [Hardcover]

Komako Sakai (Author)

Book Description

Grade Level: P and up

One day, Emily gets a balloon. By the end of the afternoon, the balloon is no longer just a plaything. Emily and the balloon are friends. But when the balloon blows away, what will Emily do? The beautifully evocative illustrations and the timeless innocence of the story make this deceptively simple book a sure classicsweet, compelling, and filled with the wonder and discovery of friendship.

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

PreS-While out for a walk, Emily's mother buys a yellow helium-filled balloon, which she ties to her daughter's finger for safekeeping. Once home, she attaches the string to Emily's spoon so the new plaything will float within the child's reach. The child plays with her toy in the house and garden, and when a breeze blows it into a tree, she is heartbroken. After her mother promises to retrieve the wayward balloon in the morning, Emily must be content to observe her portly friend safe in the tree, glowing like the moon and watching over her. The yellow balloon and its blue string stand out in a simple color palette of white, gray, and tan with a few accents of red. The illustrations, rendered in watercolor and charcoal, are placed on tan pages and surrounded by unadorned thin, round-edged black frames. A tale of a common childhood experience, tenderly and sweetly told.-Maryann H. Owen, Racine Public Library, WI
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Review

"A tale of a common childhood experience, tenderly and sweetly told." - School Library Journal

"The brevity of text combined with relatively simple illustrations make this tale perfectly suited to a toddler's interest, working well for either cozy shared storytime or for larger groups during read-aloud sessions." -Kirkus Reviews

"With its soft charcoal outlines, three-color images and matte pages, Japanese author-artist Sakai's book looks as if it could have been published in the early '60s, yet her theme is timeless. The measured pacing of the text and roomy spreads evoke a more leisurely era. Emily, a toddler with short hair and gray overalls, has trouble holding onto her yellow helium-filled balloon, until her mother (who wears a skirt and high heels) wisely ties it to a spoon ("Look! It floats, but it doesn't fly away!"). Emily and the balloon share a happy afternoon in the garden, picking flowers and making matching leafy crowns, until a gust blows the balloon up into a tree, and it stays there. "We wanted to eat together," the text reads, as Emily sits at the table in tears, imagining supper and then bedtime with her new friend. Sakai smoothly moves from Emily's thoughts to her words, always keeping readers in the heroine's mindset. Tucked into bed, Emily finds she can see the balloon from her window: "There it was, nestled in the tree. It looked just like the moon." Sakai's quiet voice represents loss as small children experience it: sometimes, she seems to say, although we can't have what we love close to us, they are still there-just like the moon. A dog-eared favorite in the making." -Publishers Weekly, starred review

"One afternoon, Emily got a balloon." From this straightforward first line follows a picture book imported from Japan that perfectly reflects a very young child's worldview. Toddler Emily's balloon comes home with her and, tied to a spoon, floats at just the right height for companionship. The two friends play until a gust of wind sends the balloon up into a tree, where, to Emily's dismay, it gets stuck. Even so, it provides a reassuring presence outside Emily's window all night, "just like the moon." Soft pencil-and-wash sketches, all in grays and browns except for the bright yellow balloon, reinforce the child-centered feel of the book as they focus squarely on Emily's attachment to her balloon friend. For all their simplicity, the illustrations are remarkably expressive, particularly at capturing a toddler's body language. Sakai's minimal text segues fluidly and coherently from an omniscient narrator's voice to that of Emily's mother and even Emily herself and is nicely matter-of-fact, never condescending nor sentimental in its acceptance of object as friend. The lack of an adult filter on child experience is refreshing and effective." -The Horn Book, starred review

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 44 pages
• Publisher: Chronicle Books (February 23, 2006)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0811852199
• ISBN-13: 978-0811852197
• Product Dimensions: 10.2 x 8.2 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (10 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #358,381 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Discover books, learn about writers, read author blogs, and more.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

6 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great tale, May 16, 2006

By 

Diane - See all my reviews

This review is from: Emily's Balloon (Hardcover)

Simple illustrations make this tale perfectly suited to a toddler`s interest,even my 4 month-old baby love it!

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Emily's Balloon, January 11, 2007

By 

J. Burgen (Arlington, TX) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Emily's Balloon (Hardcover)

Had seen a review in Fort Worth Star-Telegram and wanted it for my three-year-old granddaughter named Emma. She has enjoyed it a lot. Nice and simple allowing for ad lib storytelling.

5.0 out of 5 stars Love it!, September 5, 2010

By 

M. Bradshaw - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Emily's Balloon (Hardcover)

It is so cute. It teaches my girl about disappointments, expectations and patience. Even her brother likes it, he loves baloons.