The Blue Balloon - Softcover

Inkpen, Mick

4.24

373 ratings by Goodreads

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0340918195 ISBN 13: 9780340918197

Publisher: Hodder Children's Books, 2006

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A celebrated classic which continues to delight millions of children.

Kipper has found a soggy blue balloon in the garden. At first, it seems like an ordinary balloon, but it's not. It's full of fun and magic. This is a book to be treasured, loved, read time and time again, with fantastic fold out pages.

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Review:

Mick Inkpen has long since made his mark on the hearts and minds of children with his warm and humorous story books starring some of the most lovable and enduring characters a child is ever likely to encounter, including the much-loved Kipper and Wibbly Pig.

The Blue Balloon--the tale of an ordinary, soggy old balloon which suddenly becomes "Indestructible with Strange and Wonderful Powers"--was first published in 1989 and shows the author at his very best. Inkpen's bewitching formula of simple story and clear, bright illustrations draws his young readers into the centre of a world where the name of the game is fun.

With new and witty touches throughout the book and plenty of pull-outs and peek-a-boos to keep keen young fingers entertained this all-time favourite 10th-Anniversary edition will introduce the wonders of that mysterious balloon to a new audience while tickling the literary tastebuds of the legions of young fans who already take pleasure in this most magical yet endearingly elementary of stories.

Inkpen says that The Blue Balloon seemed to write itself, and perhaps that is part of the charm. But as the balloon--at first rather sad and pathetic--gets bigger and bigger and better and better it is easy to see why Mick Inkpen has become so popular with toddlers and parents alike. (Ages 3 to 5)--Susan Harrison

Review:

This Inkpen classic features some of the best examples of fold-outs ever... although thanks to some very enthusiastic young hands our copy's mostly held together with sticky-tape now. (The Guardian (Aidan Moffat))

A delightful story with a surprise on every page (Child Care)

The story is charming and the illustrations uncluttered ... an ideal book to base work around, to explore dreams and magic, and the notion that something so ordinary can become something so exciting (Child Education)

The easy-to-read text with its wealth of sparkling vocabulary makes this a classic story to be treasured and read time and time again (EYE Magazine)

Beautifully illustrated and full of the kinds of visual surprises kids love. (What's On (July 1993))

Inkpen's pale watercolours against a white background give a cool, calm feel, while the use of pull-out pages and sequences of pictures give an animated feel. Beginner readers will be able to tackle the simple text, but it's a great story to share with all ages. (Junior, July 2000)

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