A note, a carousel and a polar bear. Is it a dream? A fantastical adventure? We are still wondering—and that’s so much a part of why we love the gorgeous Please Bring Balloons. This is one of those books we come back to again and again, for the sheer awe it provokes, not just in my boys, but in me as well. And during these especially chaotic times, this is one of those perfectly magical escapes — such a great book to read before bedtime.
In Lindsay Ward’s Please Bring Balloons, Emma discovers a note at a carousel, tucked under a polar bear’s saddle. It’s message is simple: please bring balloons. So she obliges, brings one balloon for the bear, and subsequently discovers yet another note, asking for even more. Once again, Emma complies. But this time when she returns to the carousel and ties a whole bunch of balloons to the bear’s saddle, Emma hops onto his back and suddenly discovers that the bear begins to move… off the ground, through the clouds, and towards the North Star. When they land with a thud amidst a blanket of snow, Emma learns her adventure had only just begun.
Both artistically beautifully and perfectly fanciful, we adore this captivating book! Ward’s illustrations transform cut paper into exquisite collages, making the art on these pages as whimsical as this story. One of my absolute favorite things about Please Bring Balloons is the way in which it helps to unlock a child’s imagination. If polar bears can ride right off a carousel and into the black of night, what else could happen? Imagine — and help those little ones snuggled on your lap imagine too.
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Want the book? Get it here! Please Bring Balloons, by Lindsay Ward. *This is an affiliate link.
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