#blogbookaday: The Remember Balloons

Summary:

“James’s Grandpa has the best balloons because he has the best memories. He has balloons showing Dad when he was young and Grandma when they were married. Grandpa has balloons about camping and Aunt Nelle’s poor cow. Grandpa also has a silver balloon filled with the memory of a fishing trip he and James took together.

But when Grandpa’s balloons begin to float away, James is heartbroken. No matter how hard he runs, James can’t catch them. One day, Grandpa lets go of the silver balloon—and he doesn’t even notice!

Grandpa no longer has balloons of his own. But James has many more than before. It’s up to him to share those balloons, one by one.” (Taken from Goodreads)

Review:

James has some good balloons filled with memories, but his Grandfather has the best balloons (and lots of them). He’s got memories of his own childhood, marrying his best friend and James’s father as a child, plus memories of fishing with James. But, James begins to notice that Grandpa’s balloons have started floating away and James isn’t fast enough to catch them! As Grandpa loses his balloons, James gains more balloons and takes the time to share these memories with his Grandpa.

Personal Reaction:

Josh Funk gave me this recommendation and, boy, is it an amazing title and an amazing visual to explain to kids about memory loss due to diseases like Alzheimer’s. This story is both heart breaking and heart warming at the same time. I may not be able to ever look at balloons the same way again. Jessie Oliveros has created a safe space for kids to explore memory loss of grandparents or older neighbors. Parents and kids can even talk about balloons they hold on to (and what color they might be). Dana Wulfekotte used pen and pencil to draw the illustrations and then chose bright colors to reflect the balloon memories held by each character. (I so want to know what the dog’s rose-colored balloon memory is!) This is an extremely powerful picture book that will definitely be staying with me for a long time.

Title: The Remember Balloons
Author: Jessie Oliveros
Illustrator: Dana Wulfekotte
Publisher: Simon Schuster Books for Young Readers
Publication Date: August 28, 2018

This is a new idea I’m trying on my blog this year that was inspired by @donalynbooks and @heisereads – to provide a brief review of a picture book every day of 2018. You’ll get a brief summary of the story, a review of the content, illustrations and theme, my personal reaction to the book and all the pertinent publication information! Enjoy!