My yellow balloon

Format:

Book

Title:

My yellow balloon

Author:

Papageorge, Tiffany author

ISBN:

9780990337003

Edition:

First edition.

Publication:

San Francisco, CA : Minoan Moon Publishing, [2014]

Physical Description:

1 volume (unpaged) : color illustrations ; 29 cm

Summary:

Joey goes to the carnival and makes a new friend: a bright yellow balloon. Joey and his beloved balloon do everything together, until the balloon accidentally slips off Joey's wrist and flies far, far away. What will Joey do without his special friend? A tale of love, loss and letting go that serves as a comforting guide for children who are navigating the complicated emotions of grief.

Reading Level:

003-008.

Subject(s):

Balloons -- Juvenile fiction.

Friendship -- Juvenile fiction.

Loss (Psychology) in children -- Juvenile fiction.

Grief in children -- Juvenile fiction.

Balloons -- Fiction.

Friendship -- Fiction.

Loss (Psychology) -- Fiction.

Genre:

Added Author:

Holds:

Available:*

Library	Call Number	Status
Searching... Amity Public Library	E PAPAGEORGE	Searching... Unknown

Bound With These Titles

On Order

Summary

It all started at the carnival. . . .

That's where Joey makes a new friend: a bright yellow balloon. Joey and his beloved balloon do everything together, until the balloon accidentally slips off Joey's wrist and flies far, far away. What will Joey do without his special friend?

Tiffany Papageorge has crafted a poignant tale of love, loss, and letting go that will serve as a comforting guide to children who are navigating the complicated emotions of grief. Rich, luminous illustrations by Erwin Madrid perfectly capture these timeless themes, making them accessible to even the youngest reader.

Honest, unflinching, and ultimately reassuring, My Yellow Balloon will resonate with anyone who has endured the darkness of grief, while offering hope for brighter days ahead.

Author Notes

Tiffany Papageorge has always had a profound love for stories. She earned her MFA in Acting from the American Conservatory Theater in San Francisco. Through her extensive theater background, which spans a 25-year period and includes work with CBS and Disney, she learned firsthand how stories deeply touch and affect the human spirit. As an author and public speaker she works with parents, teachers, and mental health professionals who want to find new ways to reach, capture, and engage children, including those who are dealing with the issue of loss. She also works with children directly through story to help them grow, heal, and flourish. She and her husband, Paul, live in Los Gatos, CA, with their three children. My Yellow Balloon(tm) is Tiffany's first children's book.

Erwin Madrid was born in the Philippines and grew up in San Jose, California. He earned his BFA in Illustration from the Academy of Art College in San Francisco, CA. During his last semester of college, Erwin was hired by PDI/DreamWorks Animation where he contributed production illustrations for the animated feature film, Shrek 2 . He later became a visual development artist for the Shrek and Madagascar franchise and Megamind . Erwin has also done conceptual art for the video game industry for titles like Uncharted: Drake's Fortune . He now works full time as a children's book illustrator.

Reviews (2)

Publisher's Weekly Review

Papageorge sets her nostalgic debut in an unspecified period in the early 20th century, imagining a time when rocking horses, tire swings, and dominoes were all the entertainment a boy might need. The boy in this case is named Joey, and his eyes gleam as he explores a carnival with his parents, receiving a yellow balloon from a "ripe old man" selling them. Joey and his balloon are inseparable, but the relationship is short-lived: playing in the sandbox, "somehow, some way, it slipped off his wrist." In the story's most effective moment, readers turn the book sideways, and a gatefold spread opens to emphasize the gulf of sky between Joey and the balloon. Papageorge and Madrid give substantial weight and attention to Joey's emotional life, but the story's impact is weakened by purple prose ("The cool air wrapped around him while the dark clouds of spring hung like huge sacks of treasured rain") and artwork that, while polished, manipulatively pulls on heartstrings (Joey's world literally turns gray after the balloon disappears). Rather than sharing Joey's sorrow, readers may just feel sorry for him. Ages 4-8. (BookLife) © Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.

Kirkus Review

A young boy who loses his treasured balloon illustrates the stages of grief in this debut picture book.Joey has loved his yellow balloon ever since an old man at the carnival wrapped the string around his wrist. The beautifully detailed images by Madrid (Jungle Cruise, 2018, etc.) set the story in the early 20th century; day after summer day, the balloon comes with Joey on his appealingly old-fashioned adventures. At night, Joey tells the balloon: "I love you so much. I can't wait for tomorrow." But one day, the balloon somehow slips off his wrist, disappearing into the sky. The previously colorful images turn gray and cold to match Joey's grief, anger, and confusion. But over time, his sadness lessens, and color gradually returns in his life. Seeing the warm yellow sun, Joey realizes that while he'll always miss his balloon, it's a part of him and always will be. In her book, Papageorge deftly tells a fable about grief, one that children could use to better deal with the loss of a relative or pet. The sensitive, expressive illustrations partner well with the text, especially the remarkable gatefold spread that opens up to show, when the book is turned, the yellow balloon rising impossibly high while Joey remains earthbound. The author honors a child's feelings, but also shows how they can slowly change: "As time passed," Joey "was sad a lot of the time instead of most of the time." An effective and moving approach to understanding sorrow that children should understand. Copyright Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.