The Remember Balloons
Jessie Oliveros, Author
Dana Wulfekotte, Illustrator
Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers, Fiction, Aug. 28, 2018
Suitable for Ages: 5-9
Themes: Aging grandparent, Memory, Family relationships, Balloons
Opening: I have lots and lots of balloons, way more than my little brother. “This one’s my favorite,” I tell him, pointing to the balloon filled with my last birthday party.
Publisher Synopsis:
James has a lot of balloons. They’re where he keeps his favorite memories of birthday parties, eating cake with chocolate frosting and riding a pony.
Grandpa has lived a long life and has the most balloons. Birthdays and long-ago summers, his wedding day, the birth of children and grandchildren, his favorite dog and special camping trips — Grandpa’s balloons hold so many great stories. James love to hear them all.
When Grandpa’s balloons start drifting away, so does his memory. James want to catch the balloons, but he can’t. James now has to be the one share stories — to share his balloons with Grandpa.
Why I like this book:
What a treasure! Jessie Oliveros’ tackles the timely and difficult topic of memory loss in a sensitive way so that children will easily understand. With many seniors living older to see great- and great-great grandchildren, this is an important book for families to remember. This book is a treasure! A moving story about a girl trying to make sense of her grandmother’s memory loss.
Oliveros’ story is so beautifully written. We tend to hold our memories in things, and for James and his grandfather it is balloons. The balloon metaphor is ideal for children, because balloons hold many joyful memories.
Dana Wulfekotte’s black and white illustrations with splashes of color are perfect for this story. Children will see the racial diversity in the family, which the illustrator weaves into his illustrations. He also uses a lot of white space — space to breathe and collect your thoughts as you study each and every page.
Resources: The book alone is a great resource to talk with your children about aging, memory loss and family history. Encourage your children to interview their grandparents and journal family stories. Parents may want to check out the National Institute on Aging for additional information to help children understand Alzheimer’s.
Jessie Oliveros grew up watching Kansas sunsets. Her childhood balloon is sunflower yellow and filled with memories of chasing tornadoes, romping through the woods and fishing with her grandpa. After a fulfilling career as a registered nurse, Jessie hung up her stethoscope to grow children and stories. These days you can find her in the Texas hill country with her husband and their four kids. You can visit Jessie Oliveros at her website.
Every Friday, authors and KidLit bloggers post a favorite picture book. To see a complete listing of all the Perfect Picture Books (PPB) with resources, please visit author Susanna Leonard Hill’s website.
*Reviewed from a library copy.
This book is beautiful. I hadn’t thought about the space on the pages before. Love that thought!
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I love it when illustrators use space creatively and add to the message.
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This is a lovely book and so important. My mother has visits from her great-great-grandchildren. There are many generations of families living now and it´s good for the younger ones to carry on the memories.
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Just beautiful! Many of us may see great-great-grandchildren. I have a great that is 13 now. Memories and stories are important. Wish I remembered more.
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I so wish I had asked my grandparents more questions. We always think of these things when it is too late.
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Such a sweet way to think of memories. Concrete, but not…
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Lovely way to put it.
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This is such an outstanding book and the balloon metaphor such a great way for kids to understand memory loss.
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Such a brilliant idea to use balloons as a metaphor for memories.
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There is so much to love about this. I do appreciate the metaphor, but I don’t like the balloons drifting off as they cause so much havoc in nature.
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Yes, I had the same thought about nature. Saw a piece on TV about balloons. But, it is a lovely metaphor.
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Such a beautiful way to teach children this hard topic. Brilliant.
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Thank you for visiting. I’m glad you enjoyed this touching story.
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I love this book. So beautiful and tender. I’ve been focusing on books about memory lately, using them as mentor texts. And this is one of the best I’ve seen!
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It is one of the top books I’ve read on memory. It would pair nicely with “Grandfather Green” by Lane Smith.
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What a tender sounding book to share with a young audience. So many kids have an older relative with memory loss. Thanks for introducing this story to me.
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It is such a beautiful intergenerational story. Top of my picks.
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One of my favorites! So glad you’ve reviewed it!
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Love to give a really outstanding book more book love!
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This is such a touching book.I like the idea of interviewing grandparents. You always learn such interesting things.
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So much to love in this story. Wish I still had letters my grandmother wrote about her childhood — she was born in 1896.
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Sadly, I think many more books on this topic will be needed in the future, Patricia.
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But it is fantastic their are books to help children understand and not be afraid of aging loved ones.
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Exactly! 🙂
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As people are living longer, and growing old enough to know their great-grandchildren much less their grandchildren, this book is invaluable. My grandkids love my mom, their great-grandmother, but they’re confused by her dementia. I think this is the perfect book for them.
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It is a beautiful book and one to keep on hand — especially if their are older grand and great grandparents.
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