Billy and the Balloons

Synopsis:

“Fly up, up, and away with Billy! When the wind takes Billy and his colorful balloons on a ride in the sky, he ends up having the most magical Christmas ever.
 
A small boy + a big bunch of balloons = magic! Billy’s dad has a special touch with balloons, turning them into every imaginable shape and creature. But one Christmas Eve, the wind whips up and tiny Billy finds himself and his father’s balloons floating away through the clouds. Lots of friends, both human and animal, scurry to the rescue—but instead of bringing Billy down to earth, one by one they end up coming along for the ride. Will Billy succeed in landing safely . . . and help Santa and his tired reindeer deliver their presents too?”

Review:

This is a sweet and silly story about a very small boy is a fun adventure read aloud perfect for Christmas Eve! All little Billy wants is to help his dad sell his beautiful balloons on Christmas Eve, but he’s too small to hold them, he might get blown away! When an especially strong gust of wind whips by, Billy is on an adventure of a lifetime and gets to meet the magical Santa Claus!

I think what I loved most about this story is that the story builds up to meeting Santa and rather than Santa actually being the main character – it’s Billy. This story gets so silly as more people and animals get taken for a ride with these balloons. I think kids will have a lot of fun identifying animals and animal sounds as Billy floats past a farm and a zoo. And when Santa finally makes an appearance, kids will be so excited and tickled that these big balloons are no match for Santa’s mince pies.

The illustrations bring this story to life with brightly colored balloons on almost every page. I love how Patrick was able to make the balloons translucent so that you could kind of see through them just like a balloon in real life. And who doesn’t love when a book has a fold out to an even larger image? (But, you’ll have to read the story to see the full picture!)

This is a sweet holiday story about a boy who finds out that being little is brilliant! Because how else would Billy have been able to save Christmas?

A Little Bit More:

Just a note that I really appreciated the diversity in this story as Billy and his dad sell balloons. It’s hard to find holiday stories that are more inclusive than the typical classics that everyone is familiar with.

You can purchase through Amazon using my affiliate link: Billy and the Balloons or through Bookshop.org. When purchasing using these promotional links I receive a small commission.

Need to Know:

Title: Billy and the Balloons
Author: Elizabeth Dale
Illustrator: Patrick Corrigan
Publisher: Sterling Publishing
Publication Date: October 6, 2020
Page Number: 32 pgs.