Customer Reviews

The Red Balloon

5 star:		(15)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

As a very young boy, I remember asking my mother to read The Red Balloon to me a hundred times or more; something must have truly spoken to me in the story of this child with the ever-faithful balloon friend. On par with Saint-Exuperie (author of "Le Petit Prince"), the metaphors in this 'children's book' run a gamut of complex emotions -- from learning love for friends, to feeling different and expelled, a sense of loss,... but then ultimately reclaimed, finding joy in one's own self. There's sadness, but also understanding, as the balloon's 'life' goes. The lessons here are obvious ones, and I am glad they were imparted on me at an early age. I highly recommend this title to kids 3 to 8 -- particularly if they seem introverted or shy. They might not always be so, once they learn to let go! FYI, you may find copies of The Red Balloon currently (12/12/99) at your local Resoration Hardware; thanks guys! Oh, and don't forget to read to a child! :-)

This is a story I first fell in love with when I first saw the film as a child over forty years ago. It seems to grow even more special to me as the years pass. Both the book and the film capture the unique imagination and loneliness of childhood. The story paints a child's-eye view of Paris that few, if any, Americans have experienced. The photo illustrations are absolutely gorgeous. I gave this as a gift to my niece this year and I know that she will treasure this as I have for many years.

When I was a little boy, this story brought me incredible delight over and over again. When I saw this film as a young man in my 20's, it brought me delight again, letting me relive my childhood all over. As an adult, I just introduced the book and the film to my 2 year old daughter, and once again this classic story has brought me delight. My daughter, who is usually only interested in Elmo and Barney, stood riveted through both the pages of the book and the scenes of the film, as Pascal and his balloon let her imagination soar. I cannot recommend this story more than to say 'no child should grow up without it'.

ISBN 0385142978 - I owned a copy of this book for many years before I ever read it. I'm not sure why, beside that my son just wasn't very interested in it, other than to periodically peek at the photos. It's a wonderful story!

Pascal is lonely. He has brought home strays in the past, but his mother doesn't want them bringing dirt into her house, so they have been put right back out. When he comes across a red balloon, he has no idea that it is magic - and soon to become his best friend! When his mother throws it out the window, it doesn't go anywhere. It hovers there until Pascal brings it back inside. Through the story, it follows him everywhere, even flying over the bus on the way to school. When a gang of boys become determined to take it from him, there's little he can do about it. And when they pop the balloon, he's devastated... then he sees an astonishing sight! Every captive balloon in Paris revolts. The balloons twine their strings together and lift him up and away.

There is a review that refers to that as "taking him to heaven", but the book says he took "a wonderful trip all around the world". That difference might be the difference between the original story and the adaptation for the film, or might be the film viewer's interpretation of the story. Either way, it's a great book, and a beautiful (if a little odd) story, full of wonderful photos of Paris in the 1950s. A little something for everyone!

- AnnaLovesBooks

This book was a childhood favorite of mine in the mid 1960s--introduced to me by my mother, a teacher of French language. It's a bittersweet tale --but ultimately it's an affirming book. I loved it so much as a child that I have always remembered it--and now plan to introduce it to my children. The photographs are beautiful and charming. My love of this book probably explains why I always feel happy when I see a big red balloon. A gem and a classic!

THIS BOOK GIVES ME A WARM HEART AS I REMEMBER READING IT AS A CHILD. I GIVE THIS BOOK TO ALL THE CHILDREN IN MY LIFE AND AT LAST I HAVE A LITTLE BOY TO BUY IT FOR AND READ IT TO. I CANT WAIT.......

For anyone, who, like myself, went to see The Red Balloon at the cinema as a child in 1957, this beautifully designed and superbly produced book is a perfect souvenir of this multi-award winning Technicolor short film that remains as totally enchanting today as it was fifty years ago, when I was entranced by it as a ten year old boy.

When a film is in production, very many still photographs are taken during the shoot for use as publicity material later on. This book contains no less than 39 black and white location stills and seven in full colour, or nine if you count the front and back covers, making a total of 48 photographs as beautifully crisp and clear today as they were when they were first taken, a lifetime ago, way back in 1956. Accompanying the photographs is the storyline of the film, told page by page and still by still and this is beautifully written.

The Red Balloon, directed by Albert Lamorisse, running only 35 minutes, without dialogue and telling its story though pictures, sound and music, tells the fable of a lonely little six year old Parisian boy, Pascal (played by the director's young son, Pascal Lamorisse), who befriends an equally lonely helium filled red balloon with a life of its own, which becomes his constant companion, following him everywhere, waiting outside school for him and even outside his bedroom. The two become devoted to one another and share many adventures together. For Pascal, the red balloon becomes the friend that he's always yearned for.

At the end, a group of school bullies, jealous of the happiness that Pascal and the balloon have found together, waylay the little boy and throw stones and fire catapults at the balloon, puncturing it. As the balloon slowly falls to the ground and dies in front of a heartbroken Pascal, all the balloons of Paris come to its funeral, lifting Pascal up over the Paris skyline and upward into Heaven, where Pascal and his beloved red balloon will be together forever. So very beautifully done and so very, very moving. An absolute children's classic.

The film and the location photographs in this book are also a unique record of a long lost part of Paris. A Technicolor record of the Belleville area of the city, which was razed to the ground during the 1960's, left as waste land for twenty years and then converted into a modern day park. 99% of what you see in the film, including the bakery, the famous Y shaped staircase, ect, exist no more. One or two shots are taken in Montmartre but the rest of the film was shot in the Belleville area of Paris and the adjacent quartier des Pyrenees. Only the large church seen in the film and also in this book remains today, dwarfed by the high rise blocks erected in the 1970's.

I highly recommend this book to anyone of any age who appreciates something of a very high quality. Not just those of us who are approaching sixty now and have very fond memories of the film from our 1950's childhood, but to anyone of any age. 5 out of 5. From David Rayner in Stoke on Trent, England.

It's somewhat misleading to post reviews of the original Lamorisse version of "The Red Balloon" on this page, because this book is a stage adaptation of Lamorisse's work (i.e., the 1956 Academy Award Winning Short Film, and several other editions of the book).

This book was read to me as a child in the 60's. I loved it then and my children LOVE reading it together now. It is a wonderful testament to the magic of children and friendship. A very nice story. (I still have the oversized hard back edition of this book from my childhood... it's a beautiful book.)

Pascal's mother does not allow him to have any pets. And since he has no brothers or sisters, this makes life very lonely. So, it is a lucky day when he discovers a beautiful, big, red balloon.

He also discovers this is no ordinary balloon. Although it is sometimes naughty and seems to have a mind of its own, the red balloon becomes a loyal friend. Pascal's mother, the school principal and a local gang give Pascal and the balloon a lot of trouble, but friendship can overcome such trouble as this.

And it is because of this friendship a TERRIBLE tragedy happens, but because of this awful event a WONDERFUL happening takes place. This may seem unusual...and it is. (This modern fantasy is suitable for the primary grades.)

The Creative Teacher: Activities for Language Arts (Grades 4 through 8 and Up)