It's Tough to Lose Your Balloon

June 8, 2015
Krosoczka (Peanut Butter and Jellyfish) doesn’t actually tell readers to make lemons out of lemonade, but he does suggest that “when life gives you rain... look for the rainbow.” So you accidentally let go of your prized balloon? Think about it bringing a smile to the face of an airplane passenger—like Grandma. Sure, a scraped knee hurts, but “you’ll get a cool bandage. (It might even glow in the dark!).” These are the kinds of keep-your-chin-up life lessons that could be annoying, but Krosoczka diffuses any cynical impulses with his guileless, upbeat line drawings, which prove that looking on the bright side has its rewards. In the b&w “before” scenes, the hapless or put-upon children are rendered in full color, as if to isolate them in a cruel, uncaring universe. But in the vivid “after” images, all is right with the world, and his characters are downright jubilant, whether they’re cavorting with sandwich-thieving seagulls or soaring toward readers in a gravity-defying swing, bare feet triumphantly freed from soggy shoes. Ages 3–7. Agent: Rebecca Sherman, Writers House.

July 1, 2015
A series of short vignettes shows how kids can make the most out of a bad situation when they look at life with a positive attitude. Kids encounter mishaps all the time-scraping a knee, breaking a favorite toy, losing a new balloon. With simple words and sweet illustrations, Krosoczka acknowledges how upset children feel when encountering these unlucky accidents. But with each page turn, he shows how misfortune can turn into a happy moment. "It's never fun when you break a toy... / ... but you'll have fun fixing it with Grandpa." Simple line drawings, apparently digitally filled with watercolor-effect colors, convey the children's emotions. With each initial situation, only the child is colored in, focusing attention on the child's feelings. But with each page turn, warm, gentle colors fill the spread. While this picture book lacks a continuous storyline like Jeff Mack's Good News Bad News (2012), the different episodes reflect diversity in characters and settings that will help children connect to the overall message. Krosoczka creates rapport and empathy with his young audience. While adults might find it a bit heavy on the message, young children will relate to the frustrating situations and feel happy to be reminded about the positive side of life. A feel-good book to turn to when helping a young child cope with the everyday setbacks life brings his or her way. (author's note) (Picture book. 3-5)

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July 1, 2015

PreS-Gr 1-Teachers and parents today know the importance of teaching young children resilience. This book explores common childhood frustrations, acknowledges the feelings, and helps point the way toward coping. The difficulties are everyday occurrences such as ice cream melting or legs getting scraped, not large-scale tragedies, so the tone remains optimistic throughout. Not every situation will resonate with every child, but the premise of looking for the positive has universal appeal. The book design and cheerful, exuberant pictures carry out the theme. A color-saturated full page describes the problem, along with a single page illustration. The "problem" spread leads to a two-page image celebrating a constructive outcome. For example, in the sandwich section, the text reads, "It's sad to drop your sandwich in the sand...but it will make some seagulls very happy." The illustration shows that another child split her own undropped sandwich and shared, helping children understand that sometimes they have to look further for a solution. Adults can forget how things that seem small to them can be significant in a child's world. The warm tone of this story is a reassuring reminder to children that a situation can be bad, but they will be okay. The simple design leaves room for exploration, writing, and discussion as children could think of something that happened to them and remember or imagine a way to handle it. VERDICT Most libraries will want to add this appealing title.-Lucinda Snyder Whitehurst, St. Christopher's School, Richmond, VA

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