The Remember Balloons

by Jessie Oliveros (Author) Dana Wulfekotte (Illustrator)

The Remember Balloons
Reading Level: 2nd − 3rd Grade

A 2019 Schneider Family Award Honor Book!

What's Happening to Grandpa meets Up in this tender, sensitive picture book that gently explains the memory loss associated with aging and diseases such as Alzheimer's.

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.

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Publishers Weekly

Debut author Oliveros imagines that memories are small, brightly colored balloons tied to a person's wrist (and, in a dog's case, to its collar). The young narrator of this story has more balloons than his baby brother; his elderly grandfather has more than everyone in the family combined. But lately, Grandpa's balloons have been slipping from his wrist--a few at first, and then more, "faster and faster" until finally, Grandpa no longer recognizes the boy. The boy is confused, scared, and angry: "Why did you let it go?" he cries when a silver balloon that represents an idyllic day spent fishing together floats away. "That was our balloon!" But his parents tell the boy that memories can be shared; his time with his grandfather, and the stories Grandpa told him about his own life, have become new balloons on the boy's wrist. The metaphor might have worn out its welcome quickly, but the book's visual strategy works: Wulfekotte (Rabbit & Possum) makes the balloons the only color elements and depicts the story's action in softly textured black-and-white line drawings. This distinctive look, combined with the simple, plaintive prose, offers genuine poignancy. Ages 5-9. Author's agent: Michael Hoogland, Dystel, Goderich & Bourret. Illustrator's agent: Sean McCarthy, Sean McCarthy Literary Agency. (Aug.)

Copyright 2018 Publishers Weekly, LLC Used with permission.

Review quotes

"[The] distinctive look, combined with the simple, plaintive prose, offers genuine poignancy." - Publisher's Weekly
Jessie Oliveros
Jessie Oliveros grew up watching Kansas sunsets, and she'll always have wild sunflowers and gold-tipped corn fields in her heart. She spent her college-life climbing mountains in Utah and striving for higher vistas. 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 her at JessieOliveros.com.

Dana Wulfekotte is an animator and children's book creator. She was born in South Korea, raised in New Jersey, and currently lives in Queens, New York, with her boyfriend and two pet rabbits.
Classification
Fiction
ISBN-13
9781481489157
Lexile Measure
490
Guided Reading Level
-
Publisher
Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers
Publication date
August 28, 2018
Series
-
BISAC categories
JUV013030 - Juvenile Fiction | Family | Multigenerational
JUV015020 - Juvenile Fiction | Health & Daily Living | Diseases, Illnesses & Injuries
JUV005000 - Juvenile Fiction | Boys & Men
Library of Congress categories
Families
Family life
Grandfathers
Memory
Old age
Novelty balloons
Schneider Family Book Award
Honor Book 2019 - 2019

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