The Yellow Balloon

The Yellow Balloon by Charlotte Dematons

This story is about a balloon that travels around the world, through time, and through imaginative worlds. The illustrations span out far beyond the space the pages give them. It travels through a busy city, a sky filled with UFOs, a witch on a broomstick, and cherubs singing on the clouds; rolling plains with colorful farm lands, Native Americans in teepees and a kingdom at battle; and a scene of mountains, ski hills, and volcanoes all in the same vicinity. When first reading this book, it is impossible not to look for the yellow balloon in every scene, which really takes away from the unbelievably colorful, detailed illustrations. This gave it too much of a "Where's Waldo" feel. However once I read it the second time, I actually took the time to pay attention to what was going on in the pictures, and I thought it was so cool to see all how busy every picture actually was. This would be a good book for a child to "get lost" in, since the illustrations are so detailed and really draw the readers in. This is a good independent reader book, just for fun.