Balloons, Balloons, Balloons

Reviewed by Conner Aguren (age 3) and Mom for Reader Views (1/08) The bunnies wake up to hundreds and hundreds of colorful balloons floating through their town one day: red ones, blue ones, silver and black. They float into buildings, buses, stores, and the streets. Balloons, balloons they are all around, blanketing the town. "I love all the balloons. I love all the bunny rabbits and the mommy bunny rabbits and the babies." "What is your favorite color balloon?" "Black." "Do you think the book was silly?" "Yes." "Why?" "Because I love it. I love the doggy." Parent's comments: "Balloons, Balloons, Balloons" is a good book for working on colors and introducing rhyming words. The repetition is easy to follow and a nice lead-in for other poetry books.

This is a great book. My 16 month old daughter really enjoys the beautiful pictures and the rhyming word patterns. She is able to clap with the pages that say "Snap, Snap, Clap, Clap, Balloons, Balloons, Balloons".

One morning, a mysterious rabbit floats over town in a hot-air balloon, releasing thousands of balloons on the unsuspecting population below. The adults are confused and frustrated at the mess the balloons make, but the children are delighted, quickly choosing their favorite colors. At the end of the day, the balloonist sails on, leaving behind a colorful gift to mark his passage. Dee Lillegard's rhyming, yet simple prose, is sure to delight children. The rhyming stanzas lend themselves to being memorized. "Selena gets a pink one A squiddy-black-ink one A white as a sink one Balloons Balloons Balloons" The repetitive nature and minimal vocabulary of Lillegard's tale makes it perfect for beginning readers. All the necessary ingredients are present in Bernadette Pons' captivating illustrations for Balloons, Balloons, Balloons. Bright colors and lots of small details fill these spreads, providing endless fodder for the game of "can you find the..." Children will giggle with delight at the disruption the balloons cause adults; glasses get knocked off their faces, cereal is spilled, and a game of tennis is interrupted. Armchair Interviews says: Help the child in your life determine their favorite color and then help them learn to count as you hunt for all the balloons of that color in Balloons, Balloons, Balloons.