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Emily's Balloon (Hardcover)
by Komako Sakai
| Category:
Friendship, Classics, Ages 0-3, Children's book |
| Market price: ¥ 168.00
MSL price:
¥ 148.00
[ Shop incentives ]
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| Stock:
In Stock |
MSL rating:
 Good for Gifts |
| MSL Pointer Review:
A tale of a common childhood experience and the friendship between the boy and the balloon, tenderly and sweetly told. |
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Detail |
Author |
Description |
Excerpt |
Reviews |
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Author: Komako Sakai
Publisher: Chronicle Books
Pub. in: February, 2006
ISBN: 0811852199
Pages: 44
Measurements: 10.2 x 8.2 x 0.4 inches
Origin of product: USA
Order code: BC00015
Other information:
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- MSL Picks -
"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."
Target readers:
Kids aged below 8
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- Better with -
Better with
Clifford The Big Red Dog
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Komako Sakai lives in Japan, and studied art in Tokyo. She worked in textile design before beginning to illustrate children's books. She is the winner of the Japanese Picture Book Prize. This is her first book in English.
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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 classic - sweet, compelling, and filled with the wonder and discovery of friendship.
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Publishers Weekly, USA
<2006-12-21 00:00>
"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." |
BookLovingMama, USA
<2006-12-21 00:00>
This is a well-written story of a young toddler who spends the afternoon with her new yellow balloon. As any parent of a toddler will agree, balloons are such an amazingly simply toy for young ones to watch and enjoy. My young son had this simple text memorized after just two readings so I now get to enjoy him reading this one to me. Beautifully illustrated. |
L. Landry , Oakland, CA
<2006-12-21 00:00>
My 27-month old son is obsessed with balloons! I bought him this book when I got a call from his grandmother who told me his latest balloon had flown away. As soon as I showed it to him, the book became his best buddy. He wants us to read it to him all the time; he takes it with him wherever he goes. It's a beautiful book to look at and the simplicity of the story resonates with a toddler. I've never seen him react in such a way to anything (except, of course, an actual balloon). I have a feeling this will be a cherished book that he'll remember fondly years from now. |
Diane, USA
<2006-12-21 00:00>
Simple illustrations make this tale perfectly suited to a toddler's interest, even my 4 month-old baby love it! |
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