From the Publisher
While she's in the Metropolitan Museum with her grandmother, a little girl leaves her prized yellow balloon tied to a railing outside. But its string becomes untied, and the balloon embarks on an uproarious journey through New York City. With an ever-increasing cast of wacky urban characters in tow, it soars past a host of landmarks. Eighteen famous paintings and sculptures are reproduced in this delightful, wordless book that explores the magical relationship between art and life.
Booklist
Lively, squiggly ink sketches...tell a vivid, happy tale.
Publishers Weekly
Loaded with pizzazz, this wordless story takes readers on a great balloon chase that encompasses some of New York City's most celebrated sites. A grandmother and a girl holding a yellow helium balloon are stopped at the door of the Metropolitan Museum and a guard ties the forbidden toy to the banister, offering to keep an eye on it. The moment he turns away, a pigeon unties the balloon, and the guard is off and running to retrieve it. Detailed pen-and-ink drawings, punctuated with color to highlight the central action, show all the chaos that ensues, from Central Park to the Plaza Hotel to a production of Aida at the Metropolitan Opera. Into the scenes of mayhem, Glasser (Alexander, Who's Not [Do You Hear Me? I Mean It!] Going to Move) cleverly inserts reproductions of famous works of art, as viewed by the girl and grandmother, each a reflection of whatever action is going on around the balloon. In the onstage scene at the opera, for example, a dog walker, a zookeeper, a Plaza bellhop and others wreak havoc while the girl and her grandmother view an equally erratic painting (Autumn Rhythm) by Jackson Pollock. Some pairings work better than others, but Glasser's drawings capture all the energy and charm of a captivating city. Ages 5-up. (Oct.)
Katie Casey <%ISBN%>0803723016
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Children's Literature
This clever, wordless picture book tells the story of a young girl's visit to the Metropolitan Museum of Art and her adventures with her yellow balloon. When she first enters the Met, the guard tells her that her balloon is not permitted in the building. After the girl begs incessantly, the guard allows her to tie the balloon onto a stair railing for picking up after her museum tour. Moments after the young girl enters the museum, a pigeon unties the balloon, setting it loose in New York City. Pandemonium ensues as the guard embarks on a chase throughout the entire city. From a poodle tripping and sliding onto an ice skating rink to the entire collapse of a Broadway set, the guard's journey to rescue the balloon becomes a hysterical slapstick comedy. Throughout the story, the artwork the young girl is viewing at the museum parallels the humorous escapades of the guard. Famous paintings, sculptures, and clay pots by artists like Degas and Pollack all help to tell the story of the guard's mission to save a single, yellow balloon. This story is quite delightful to read. Although readers must use their imagination to create dialogue, they will undoubtedly experience the frustration of the characters as they race through New York City in search of a lone balloon. The illustrator's sporadic use of color fits the story well. The black-and-white drawings communicate the hurried pace of city life without distracting from the colored pictures, allowing the reader to focus on the important details of the story. Finally, using real artwork throughout the book enables readers to begin to understand and foster an appreciation for fine art at a young age. Hence, Weitzman's picture book deserves muchacclaim for its creativity. 2000 (orig. 1998), Puffin/Penguin Putnam,
Children's Literature
A little girl and her grandmother decide to visit the Metropolitan Museum of Art but are stopped at the main door by a guard who insists that the girl's yellow balloon be tied up outside until they are ready to leave. He promises to look after it for her. Naturally, while the girl and her grandmother explore the Art Museum, the yellow balloon blows away and the museum guard must chase after it. The balloon floats all over New York City into places that are very similar to the art that the girl and her grandmother are seeing in the museum. In this wordless picture book, each page holds several scenes to narrate the story. The art that the girl and her grandmother see in the museum are faithful reproductions. The artists' names and titles of their works appear in the back of the book.
Children's Literature
This jaunty wordless picture book follows a girl and her grandmother on a tour of the Metropolitan Museum of Art. The balloon she carries must be left outside in the care of a museum guard. The balloon floats away and causes mishaps throughout Manhattan until it magically returns to the museum and the little girl. In the interim we are treated to great works of art as well as famous sites of New York such as Lincoln Center, Tavern on the Green, Central Park, and much more. A listing of the works of art from the collections of the Metropolitan is at the back of the book.
Parent Council Reviews
Just when you think that all of the imaginative ideas for new children's books have already been used, along comes a delight like this wordless (but fascinating) book. Many of the color reproductions from the Metropolitan Museum of Art come alive as a yellow balloon mirrors them in the streets of New York City, unbeknownst to the balloon's owner, a little girl going to the museum. Art appreciation at its best! 2000, Puffin Books, $6.99. Ages 3 to 8. Reviewer: A. Braga SOURCE: Parent Council, September 2001 (Vol. 9, No. 1)
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