Customer Reviews

Happy! (Best Things)

5 star:		(6)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

This book was one of my childrens' favorites, so I ordered one for each of them now that they are adults. I think they were very excited and plan to share it with their children.

The basic story in Balloonia is that a brother and sister (Matthew and Jessica) are discussing where balloons go at bedtime. Matthew says that balloons go to Balloonia, a land far away, above the clouds, populated entirely by balloons. Jessica wants to see Balloonia, so she screams at her balloon to take her there. Then she magically turns into a balloon herself, and off they go. Balloonia is a place where everything is made of balloons: the buildings, the trees, roller coasters, people. After having lots of fun in Balloonia, she realizes that she is going to meet the same fate as many balloons (she's losing her air), and she starts to shrink. She goes flying back to her house, where she becomes her real self again.

I bought this book because my 2 year old son has been fascinated with balloons. I thought a story about balloons and their "home" would be great. I was a little disappointed when I finally received this book. The illustrations, for the most part, are painful. There are several "panes" of illustration on each page. It makes the pages look cramped. The pictures of Balloonia are beautiful and colorful, but those only take up a couple pages. The rest are awful. Jessica, the little girl in the story, is pushy and demanding. It just wasn't the happy little story I was expecting at all.

If you're looking for a fun story featuring balloons, I highly recommend "Where Do Balloons Go, An Uplifting Mystery" by Jamie Lee Curtis instead. The illustrations are beautiful, and the story is much, MUCH more entertaining.

Had this as a child and loved it. Reading it for my daughter and she also loves it. Recently took it to her play school. The teacher said it's the first time every, single child was fully captivated by a book. Look for Ms Woods' other titles too such as 'Mrs Honey's hat'. All lovely books!

My children are grown now but I am still purchasing copies of this book for children of many friends. It's precious and children love it because they love balloons.

This book is a real winner. The words are different than the usual infant/toddler words and the pictures are accurant and fun to look at. My grand daughter loves the babies that are drawn.

This was one of my favorite books as a child and I looked everywhere the hardcover version, much like my childhood book and I finally found it! Thank you for the great price, speedy delivery, and selling it to me!

I disagree with most of the other reviewers...I used this book in my storytimes at my library and the children ALL liked it. It has been my experience that kids like stories about children who aren't perfect. Not all books are sweetness and light. The little girl is a pill, but so are lots of kids and they relate to her. Matthew is sweet...and the good kids can relate to him and since he sort of "wins out" in the end, there seems to be fulfillment here for some type of value lesson. The age of the listener should be over four. I liked the illustrations as they were detailed enough to allowed a child to sit and ponder, especially after hearing it read.

I read this book as a child, and bought it hoping to relive early memories of enjoyment. In this case, I was a little disappointed. While the illustrations are very engaging, the story itself is somewhat choppy, and the main character has a very unpleasant attitude that many parents might not wish to encourage. On the other hand, the concept is nice, explaining where balloons go when they are released. I still enjoyed this book as a link to my childhood, but am not sure I would read it to my children.

I read some other peoples reviews of this book and I was a little saddened. I had this book as a child. I read it over and over. I had it all throughout my teenage years until my mom sold most of my books at half price books when I went to college. I have looked for this book again since then. I read nonstop as a child. Every family holiday picture I am sitting with a book. I brought them to the table for dinner. This is one of the few books I actually remember. Now that I have kids of my own, I am so excited that I can now share it with them.

My daughter was devastated when the bunch of balloons we bought for her 3rd birthday party blew away in the store parking lot. She talked about it for weeks afterward, even though we went back in and bought a new bunch. A friend suggested this book, about where balloons go when you let them go. The book takes children on a fun adventure to "Balloonia", a magical place for balloons. The illustrations are quite fun! We have really enjoyed this book!