krissingene's Full Review: Komako Sakai - Emily's Balloon
When my daughter was a tiny baby, I read to her constantly, hoping that she would grow to love books just as much as I do. I indiscriminately purchased children's books and carefully arranged them on the two shelves devoted to books in her nursery. I reveled in watching her little face light up when she recognized a picture among the pages.
And now, my baby is a full-fledged toddler. I still read to her constantly, because she loves books just as much as I do, and demands lots of reading time. I still indiscriminately purchase children's books (it's like a sickness) and frantically try to find room for them - her two shelves has grown to six in her bedroom, plus two in the living room, plus boxes and piles of books in her playroom. And I still revel not only in watching her little face light up in recognition, but listening to her relate these stories to her own life.
The most recent addition to her vast library is Emily's Balloon, by Komako Sakai. I was drawn in immediately by the beautifully understated cover; she was excited about the picture of the little girl and a balloon (two of her favorite things.) But can you judge this book by its cover?
~* My Balloon, My Friend *~ Emily's Balloon, quite simply, tells the story of a little girl and her balloon. Emily brings her new yellow balloon home and, as happens to all toddlers, finds that it keeps escaping to the ceiling, where she can't reach it. Emily's mother finally ties a spoon to the balloon's string, which allows it to hover at a perfect height for pretend play with Emily. The new friends are playing outside when a strong wind catches the balloon and blows it into a tall tree, where it becomes too tangled even for Emily's mother to free. Emily is, of course, distressed - but her mother reassures her that she'll borrow a ladder and free the balloon in the morning. Emily goes to bed alone, checking to be sure that her friend is still safely in the tree outside her window, and noting that the bright yellow balloon looks just like the moon in the night sky.
Now, that one-paragraph description of Emily's Balloon contained 152 words. The book itself contains only 180 words spaced across 36 pages, for an average of five words per page. Needless to say, and for the most part, this book is a quick, easy read.
What may become time-consuming when reading this book to a toddler is explaining what's going on in a few places. For example, the text on one page simply reads "Oops!" Younger children may not study the illustration intently enough to notice the first balloon flying away in the distance; if they only saw the man handing Emily a yellow balloon, they may not understand what, exactly, "oops" means here. And they may not even care, but I'm just the sort that has to stop and point these things out. Maybe you are too. Maybe you're not - and if so, this book will read very quickly for you.
Fortunately, toddlers tend to be big fans of balloons, so nearly every child will be able to relate to Emily's joy over her new toy-slash-friend, feel her frustration when it keeps floating out of reach, and delight in the silly scenarios that Emily dreams up with her friend the balloon. Although the subject of the story is a little girl, she is drawn with short hair and in such gender-neutral clothing that she could pass for a little boy, if you'd rather insert your son's name into the story instead. No need for silly gender biases to keep you from enjoying this sweet story with your little one - a little creativity on your part is all you'll need.
~* Look Closely *~
From the simple drawing of a little girl - understated in tones of brown and gray - holding a bright yellow balloon on the book's cover, the illustrations in Emily's Balloon are both subdued and sweet. Yellow is the only vibrant color in all the book, appearing in the balloon and in a few small flowers. The primarily brown and gray illustrations tell a great deal of the story, showing both actions and emotions that aren't put into words. There's nothing stimulating about them, which makes this book a great choice for reading just before naps or bedtime. Even so, they are pleasant to look at and examine, and fit perfectly with the simple story they accompany.
~* Overall *~
I was worried, prior to reading this book to my daughter, that the little girl's distress over losing her "friend" might affect my little girl in turn. Thankfully, this wasn't the case at all. Although she seemed to understand and identify with the story, she wasn't distressed by bright, angry images that might better show a toddler's true feelings in such a situation. Rather, she was soothed by the subtle tones and sweet images, such as little Emily dressing her balloon in a nightcap in preparation for bed.
Emily's Balloon has quickly become a new favorite, requested several times each day. And this is one of the few books in her collection that I don't mind reading over and over and over again.
~* The Small Print *~
This book was published by Chronicle Books in 2006. The hardcover book has 36 pages.
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