Rating: 
Summary: You'll Want to Float Away With These Balloons!
Review: Celebrity authors of children's books frequently disappoint. This is not the case with this whimsical tale that ponders the plight of balloons that accidentally get loose or are simply set free. Curtis' fanciful imagination raises a number of amusing and delightful possibilities as she instills the wayward balloons with human characteristics and individual personalities. The humans that populate her tale seem fully cognizant and comfortable with this fact as they freely interact with the vigorous and lively balloons. Curtis suggests possible "solutions" to the loose balloon mystery in open questions to the audience -including queries about whether they "tango with airplanes" or "cha-cha with birds." But she never "solves" the mystery, leaving it for her readers to ponder and decide for themselves. Cornell's boldly colored, action-packed, cartoon drawings of the balloons intermingling with humans are a perfect match for Curtis' verse. Without being overly distracting, Cornell's illustrations provide something on virtually page to discover and amuse each time the reader looks at a page, no matter how many times they have looked at it before. The net result is a true crowd pleaser. Highly recommended for ages 3 to 6.
Rating:
Summary: Where do Balloons Go
Review: If you have ever watched a balloon floating skyward and wondered where it would end up, you will enjoy this book.This is an imaginative book it helps to think better where do balloons go when they escape his/her owner's hands!
It creates a sense of wonder that almost everyone can relate to it. The colorful illustrations helps the children's imagination. I lended this book from the Los Angeles Public Library to use it with kinder classroom, as I read it for the first time, I became so engaged in wonder and so filled with nice memories of my own childhood and feelings my daughter had experienced when she wanted a balloon so bad and it scaped from her hands, that I highly recommend it for all ages. I liked the fold-out picture in the center, it adds surprise for the young reader's mind.
Rating:
Summary: Great Book!
Review: It amazes me how many talents Jamie Lee Curtis has! This is an absolutely great book and my daughter and I have read it so many times I remember it by heart! "Where do balloons go when you let them go free? It can happen by accident, it's happened to me!":o)
Rating:
Summary: Awsome Book!
Review: My 2 year old daughter loves balloons and she just loves this book! We checked it out of our local library and I had to buy it because she wanted me to read it to her over and over.
The pictures are wonderful and keep her attention since there is so much to look at. You see something new every time you turn the pages. It is definately worth purchasing.
Rating:
Summary: Great Book!
Review: My son was very interested in balloons, so I bought him a couple books about them. Where do Balloons Go? quickly became our favorite. The illustrations are beautiful, vibrant watercolors. The story is funny, with a touching ending. I found myself with a bit of a lump in my throat reading the closing line ("Where do balloons go? It's a mystery, I know. So just hold on tight till you have to...let go."). The sentiment is so meaningful. Some reviewers have commented that this book would be a good way to explain to a child how to deal with the death of a loved one. I can see it as applying to many other aspects in life where you have to "let go." The main idea is to appreciate what you have in the present moment. Of course, most of the "meaningful" stuff goes right over my toddler's head. He just likes that it's a silly story about balloons and where they might go when you let them go free. The story is written in rhyme, so you can't help but use a sing-song voice when you read it. My son eats that up. He also loves that the center pages fold out to reveal "a big balloon dance." It's his favorite part. I was concerned that the special fold out pages would end up damaged or torn, but he's very careful with them. Well, as careful as a two year old can be. The book has held up just fine, though. The ages listed for this book are 4 through 8 years, but I think that even younger children can appreciate it, as well as parents. It's a fabulous book, and sure to be a favorite for any family.
Rating:
Summary: A Wonderful, Colorful Book
Review: That dynamic duo, Jamie Lee Curtis and Laura Cornell ponder the age-old question, Where Do Balloons Go?, in their fourth collaboration of the same name. Written in rhyme, Curtis' gentle, witty, imaginative story will delight and amuse children of all ages as they explore the possibilities of what might happen when you let go of a balloon. "Do they tango with airplanes? Or cha-cha with birds? Can plain balloons read balloons printed with words?" Cornell's busy, expressive illustrations add just the right touch to this wonderful story and will keep youngsters entranced reading after reading as they find new hidden pictures and scenes. This is a real gem of a book, the whole family will enjoy, that is sure to become a classic in years to come.
Rating:
Summary: Fun, Open-Ended, Imaginative Speculations!
Review: This book clearly deserves more than five stars! Most good children's books have a primary story line that entertains the children, and brings home an important lesson. The outstanding children's books manage to combine more than one lesson. The great children's books appeal to adults as much as to children. The classic children's books take children and adults to places, thoughts, and lessons that they would never otherwise have considered. Where Do Balloons Go? has all of the elements of a classic children's book, with some novel improvements in combining text and illustrations to expand your imagination. Where Do Balloons Go? begins with this query: "Where do balloons go when you let them go free? It can happen by accident. It's happened to me." Now, if you are like me, you assume that the helium-filled balloons are carried high into the air until they either develop a hole and burst or explode from the expansion of the helium into the near-vacuum around the balloon. Not very exciting as alternative thoughts, are they? That dead-end in your mind, though, sets you up for the wonderful, mind-expanding speculations in this interesting book. "Are they always alone? Do they ever meet up in pairs? Do they ever get married and make balloon heirs?" To fully appreciate this set of questions, you have to imagine the illustrations that complement the queries. Balloons are dining in a restaurant, having a romantic time. Using that illustrative vision to launch into the idea of balloon "heirs" (pun obviously intended for "airs") is hilarious. I just loved it. The illustrations are done in vibrant colors, emphasizing lots of purples, that create a play with the text and vice versa as the above example shows to greatly expand the meaning of the book. For a further example, the text says that balloons are " . . . always concerned that they'll POP -- maybe caught up in wires pushed by the breeze . . . or tangled in trees . . . . " The corresponding illustration emphasizes professional human balloon detanglers with advertisements and all kinds of specialized gear untangling balloons from trees. The illustrations have a Richard Scarry-type appearance combined with a New Yorker-style sophistication that effortlessly engage these illustrations to nicely bridge the gap between children and adults, without excluding either side of the audience. In this sequence, you have an additional reversal in that people are serving the balloons, rather than our usual conception of the object serving the person. Without this illustration for the text, that final visual play on the verbal concept would not have been possible. A standard technique for children's books is just to anthromorphize the objects. This book goes well beyond that. First, different types of anthromophization are employed (as objects with senses "twisted by clowns" as well as self-animate objects "Do they tango with airplanes?"). The balloons are also made into creatures with animal-like qualities ("Or cha-cha with birds?") and spiritual beings (with a relationship to the stars). You will have to read the book to appreciate its full power. Along the way, you will be exposed to concepts that explore balloon communication methods, how balloons relax, benefits achieved by floating away, activities they pursue unseen in the sky, and the mental perceptions of the balloons as all this occurs. In one nice surprise, there's an enormous fold-out illustration. At the end, you also have stickers that your child can put on the book or anywhere else that she or he wants to. The ending is brilliantly done, in closing the seemingly open-ended circle of the questions and the action. You will appreciate the way the ending connects parent and child in a particularly nice way. After you have enjoyed the mind-expanding, humorous, and versatile perspectives in this book, I suggest that you take another question to which there is a scientific answer available, and build your own set of speculations and interactions. In the process, you and your child can create the story together . . . along with your own illustrations. If you cannot think of any other question, I suggest "Why does popcorn pop?" as a starting point. The punny potential of that question could even take you beyond the heights reached in Where Do Balloons Go? Reach mentally for the stars and grab the physical and emotional closeness that rewards both you and your child!
Rating:
Summary: Wonderful way to discuss Heaven w/a child
Review: This is an imaginative look at the possibilities that await balloons that have escaped their owner's grasp! If you have ever watched a balloon floating skyward and wondered where it would end up, you will enjoy this book.
The rhyming text poses questions about the fate of lost balloons and creates a sense of wonder that almost everyone can relate to. The colorful, engaging illustrations help to spark the reader's imagination. I especially enjoy the fold-out picture in the center, that adds an element of surprise for young
readers.
Although I purchased this book to use in a third grade classroom, as I read it for the first time, I became so engaged in wonder and so filled with warm memories of my own childhood and my children's, that I highly recommend it for all ages.
Rating:
Summary: Wonder!
Review: This is an imaginative look at the possibilities that await balloons that have escaped their owner's grasp! If you have ever watched a balloon floating skyward and wondered where it would end up, you will enjoy this book.
The rhyming text poses questions about the fate of lost balloons and creates a sense of wonder that almost everyone can relate to. The colorful, engaging illustrations help to spark the reader's imagination. I especially enjoy the fold-out picture in the center, that adds an element of surprise for young
readers.
Although I purchased this book to use in a third grade classroom, as I read it for the first time, I became so engaged in wonder and so filled with warm memories of my own childhood and my children's, that I highly recommend it for all ages.
Rating:
Summary: Perfect for any child
Review: This is the first book by Jamie Lee Curtis that I bought. My son (age 5)my daughter(age 1)and I absolutley love it. It is such a bright book and it encourages kids to ask all kinds of questions without worrying that they'll sound silly. Since I bought this book in August of 2000, I've bought the rest of her books and will continue to as she publishes more. Jamie Lee Curtis has definatley found her calling as an author of childrens books.
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