girlfriday1's Full Review: Jamie Lee Curtis - Where Do Balloons Go?
This book review I submit with a heavy heart. On September 2, 2000, my family lost a special young lady. A daughter to my mother's dearest friend, and a friend I was just getting to know. She was killed in a car accident. Karen was 21.
A lone balloon was released at her burial. It was her parent's way of letting go...
Perhaps It Was Serendipity
It was a hum drum kind of Sunday. I wasn't much for a drive to the park, or even a mall. The kids were getting squirrelly at home. Numb from just hearing the news of Karen, I thought why not go to the bookstore? Find a good read, and grab a much needed cup of Cafe Mocha. Perhaps a break from bad news...
The kids were lost in the sea of books and I couldn't seem to remember any book titles that I wanted to check out. I sat with my two girls at the diminutive table and chairs, pleading with them to pick out a book, any book. I sat and stared. There, right across from my seat, was a disheveled book display of Jamie Lee Curtis' new children's book entitled Where do Balloons Go?. Perfect I thought. Maddie loves balloons! I usher the little one to grab me a copy.
Of course, Maddie was too busy arguing with her sister to be interested in the words I was reading. Normally I would give up and put the book down to referee, but not this time. The story I was reading was not intended for Maddie. Not today. It was Karen.
Where do Balloons Go? An Uplifting Mystery
*By Jamie Lee Curtis
*Illustrated by Laura Cornell
Where do balloons go
when you let them go free
It can happen by accident.
It's happened to me.
Where do they go
when you let them float far away?
Do they ever catch cold
and need somewhere to stay?
When one little boy accidentally lets go of his balloon, he imagines the journey his balloon will take. Where it will go, what it will see.
Are they always alone?
Do they meet up in pairs?
Do they ever get married
and make balloon heirs?
Maybe they're better away from the smog
being twisted by clowns
or being chased by my dog.
But floating so high
without worries or cares
don't they miss birthdays,
parties, and fairs?
Where do balloons go?
What's really up there?
As far as I see,
It's just sky and air.
He imagines his balloon doing the tango with airplanes, meeting other loose balloons from Norway and France, all meeting up high, and travelling in space. Perhaps challenging rockets, and getting too close to the sun.
....
Then does it get quiet?
Do the stars give a shove?
And send it on high
to that place up above?
Does it float there forever
remembering me?
And know that I'm happy
that it's floating free?
Where Do balloons go?
It's a mystery, I know.
So just hold on tight
till you have to
........let go.
At the end of the story, we see the boy embraced by his mom, and the final illustration is of a lone purple balloon nearly out of sight, soaring high amongst the clouds.
Every line in the story spoke to me. How could a children's book move me so? Could a children's book about a balloon really be about losing a loved one? As I sat and thought about the words, I knew why they had hit me so hard. You see, we lost Karen tragically, but I too will lose my little girls. They will grow up and go on life's journey, and I wonder where they will go and who they will meet. I will hold on as tight as I can, but I too will have to let go someday.
For Jamie Lee Curtis, this book has been dedicated to Rick (a friend lost to Aids) and to her son Tom. It IS about letting go.
The book has a special bonus. In the final pages, the author has included laminated endpapers with colorform vinyl stickers that children can use in the book to create their own interpretations of the story. Interesting touch.
The wonderful watercolor illustrations by Laura Cornell serve as a perfect backdrop to the story.
A moving tale for grown-ups and an easy, happy book about a loose balloon for the young. Recommended reading age is 4-8 (but of course, well beyond that).
I have sent this book to Karen's family in memory of her life and her passing.
No, it wasn't serendipity. I think Karen was sitting with me at the children's table that day...
Float as high as you can Karen.
Love,
Jen
To read about this book, and more about Curtis' work as an author, please refer to
www.publishersweekly.com/articles/20000911_90111.asp#Jamie Lee Curtis
In this thoughtful, comforting book by actress-turned-author Jamie Lee Curtis, a child wonders about what happens to a balloon that is let go, just as...More at Buy.com
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