[BOOK REVIEW] The Big Balloon Race by Eleanor Coerr

Title:  The Big Balloon Race

Author:  Eleanor Coerr

Artist: Carolyn Croll

Genre: Balloons / Adventure / Family / Children's

Year Published: 1981

Year Read:  2019

Publisher: Harper Collins Publishers

Series: I Can Read Books

Source:  Purchased

Content Rating:  Ages 4+  (Some Complex Terms)

Buy on:  Amazon  //  Book Depository 

When I was little, my parents used to buy me and my sisters a couple of books from the “I Can Read” book series.  We have quite a lot of books from this series and one of the books that we had owned for a long time was “The Big Balloon Race” by Eleanor Coerr along with artwork by Carolyn Croll.  This is definitely a book you should read if you are a huge fan of aeronauts!

The story starts off with Ariel begging her mother Carlotta the Great to go into the balloon race with her.  But Carlotta the Great thinks that Ariel is too young to be in the race and tells Ariel that as soon as they get to the race, she should stay in the Odds and Ends box until it was time for the race to begin.  When the Myers family finally made it to the balloon race, there was a huge celebration for the competing balloonists, which was between Bernard the Brave and Carlotta the Great herself.  Ariel then slept in the Odds and Ends box until the mayor’s speech was over.  But Ariel accidentally overslept and Carlotta the Great ended up going into her balloon and taking off with Ariel inside the basket.  When Ariel finally woke up, she noticed that she was now in the air with her mother and now she has to help her mother win the race against Bernard the Brave!

Wow!  I was quite impressed with this book!  Eleanor Coerr did a fantastic job at writing this book as the book is full of excitement and wonder as we get to see how the balloon races were set up during the 1880s!  I enjoyed seeing the excitement that the protagonists have for the balloon race and I loved the fact that they gave it their all in competing in the races.  I especially loved the way that Eleanor Coerr wrote both Carlotta the Great and Ariel as they were the most intriguing characters in the book.  I loved the fact that Carlotta the Great was a strong female protagonist who kept her cool throughout the entire race and even tried to protect Ariel throughout the race.  I also loved the fact that Ariel was so determined to be in the race and when she finally got into the race, she may have panicked at some moments, but she eventually got herself together when the situation got tough.  Carolyn Croll’s artwork is adorable and creative to look at as all the characters have nice rounded faces and I enjoyed seeing all of the different types of balloons that were used in the race.

Overall, “The Big Balloon Race” is a truly joyous read for anyone who loves reading books about balloon races and want to know what aeronauts are.  I would recommend this book to children ages four and up since some small children might not understand what the term “aeronaut” means, unless it was explained to them by a parent or a teacher.

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• Danny and the Dinosaur by Syd Hoff

• One, Two, Three Going to Sea by Alain

• Good Driving, Amelia Bedelia by Herman Parish

[BOOK REVIEW] The Rhino Who Swallowed a Storm by LeVar Burton and Susan Schaefer Bernardo

Title:  The Rhino Who Swallowed a Storm

Authors:  LeVar Burton and Susan Schaefer Bernardo

Artists:  Courtenay Fletcher

Genre:  Drama / Weather / Inspirational / Children's / Folktale

Year Published: 2014

Year Read:  2017

Publisher:  Reading Rainbow

Source:  Library

Content Rating:  Ages 5+ (Some Intense Scenes)

Buy or Add on:  Amazon  //  Goodreads

I have been a huge fan of “Reading Rainbow” ever since I was a child and I have always enjoyed reading the books that were either featured or suggested on the TV series.  So, imagine my surprise and delight when I found out that LeVar Burton, the longtime host of “Reading Rainbow” was going to write a children’s book called “The Rhino Who Swallowed a Storm,” along with co-writing with Susan Schaefer Bernardo and artwork by Courtenay Fletcher.  This book will surely inspire many children to get through hard times themselves!

The story starts off with Mica Mouse sitting with her father during a storm and she became worried about the storm due to a hurricane coming in and destroying her home over a year ago. Mica’s father then went to comfort her by reading her a story about a rhino who also went through some hard times.

In the story, the rhino was living peacefully in his home when all of a sudden, a strong storm came through the valley and started destroying everything that the rhino cared about.  The rhino was so upset by all the destruction that it ended up swallowing the storm.  After the rhino swallowed the storm, the storm started causing so much disturbance within the rhino and the rhino was at a lost at what to do.  The spider then comes by and tells the rhino this verse:

“The world up above is shattered and gray,

But it’s where you belong, so you must find a way

To let that storm out and move through your sorrow.

You’ll find many helpers on your road to tomorrow.”

So, the rhino decided to go on a quest to get rid of the storm that is boiling inside of him.

Will the rhino be successful on his quest?

Read this book to find out!

Wow! I was quite impressed with this inspiring children’s book that was written by none other than LeVar Burton of “Reading Rainbow” fame!  LeVar Burton and Susan Schaefer Bernardo did a great job at writing this story as I found this story to be quite inspirational, especially for children who have to deal with the harshness of the real world and need to find a way to go through life in such a negative world.  I actually found myself relating to both Mica Mouse and the rhinoceros in the story as I sometimes found myself wondering about how I can deal with all the wars, deaths and prejudice going on in this world and I like the fact that this book tries to encourage children to get through tough times by inspiring them to remain positive and be aware of all the friends and families they have that will help them through tough times.  Courtenay Fletcher’s artwork is highly creative and cute to look at as I enjoyed the images of both the rhinoceros and Mica Mouse as the artwork for Mica Mouse and her father are in smooth watercolors while the artwork for the rhinoceros is in cut out figures to help the readers distinguished between the two stories.

The reason why I took off half a star from the rating was because I felt that this story was a bit too lengthy in trying to get its message across and I wished that they would have trimmed out a few verses that the animals were trying to tell the Rhino in order to get to the meat of the story much faster.

Overall, “The Rhino Who Swallowed a Storm” is a great inspirational book for children who are also going through hard times and want a good book that can inspire them to remain positive in such a harsh world.  I would recommend this book to children age five and up since the length and complexity of this book might be difficult for some smaller children.

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• Pancho Rabbit and the Coyote: A Migrant's Tale by Duncan Tonatiuh

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[BOOK REVIEW] Tar Beach by Faith Ringgold

Title:  Tar Beach

Author:  Faith Ringgold

Genre: African American / Racism / Family

 
Year Published: 1991

Year Read:  2010

Publisher: Crown Publishers

Source:  Library

Content Rating:  Ages 4+  (Themes of Racism)

Buy on:  Amazon  //  Book Depository 

I have actually seen this book on an episode of “Reading Rainbow” and I thought that this book was great!  “Tar Beach” is a Caldecott Honor Book and Coretta Scott King Honor Book by Faith Ringgold that is about a young girl named Cassie Louise Lightfoot who tells the audience about how she flies in the sky over the city and relates her tale to the audience.  “Tar Beach” is certainly a memorable book that children will love to read!

After reading this book, I started taking an interest in the art of creating stories through quilts!  Faith Ringgold has done an excellent job at both illustrating and writing this story about the life of an African-American girl during the 1930s.  What really made this book stand out was the fact that it was based off of Faith Ringgold's story quilt that details the life of African-American women in America and I really loved the idea about this story coming from a story quilt, which is a quilt that tells the story of a person's life, since it made the story more creative and memorable to read about.  Also, this book helped me learn more about black history, especially seeing how African-Americans and Native-Americans were treated during the construction of the Union building during the 1930s and it is interesting to see how far we have came from those times.  Faith Ringgold's illustrations are truly creative and gorgeous, especially when she uses watercolor painting to illustrate the characters and the cities.  The images that truly stood out for me were the images of Cassie flying over the George Washington Bridge and her apartment where her family lives on as it is simply breathtaking.  I also loved the way that Faith Ringgold pasted pieces of her quilt on the bottom of the pages since it brings true creativity to the story and made the story even more heartwarming to read.

The only reason why I gave this book a four star rating is because even though I gave this book so much praise, the story seems to go through the events a bit too fast and there does not seem to be enough information about the characters themselves and the events that surrounded them, especially regarding the Union building since I wanted to learn more about the situation at the Union building during the 1930s.

Overall, “Tar Beach” is a great book for children who want to see stories through the eyes of a quilt and learn more about black history.  I would recommend this book to children ages four and up since the format is easy for younger children to understand.

*  1992 Caldecott Honor

*  1992 Coretta Scott King Award for Illustrator

*  1993 Ezra Jack Keats Book Award for New Writer

[BOOK REVIEW] The Day Jimmy's Boa Ate the Wash by Trinka Hakes Noble

Title:  The Day Jimmy's Boa Ate the Wash

Author:  Trinka Hakes Noble

Artist:  Steven Kellogg

Genre: Humor / Animals / School / Field Trip / Farm

 
Year Published: 1980

Year Read:  2010

Publisher: Dial Books for Young Readers

Series: Jimmy's Boa #1

Source:  Library

Content Rating:  Ages 4+ (Nothing Objectionable)

Buy on:  Amazon  //  Book Depository 

 “The Day Jimmy’s Boa Ate the Wash” is a truly hilarious story from the creative mind of Trinka Hakes Noble along with illustrations by Steven Kellogg and it is about a girl’s wild adventures at the field trip to the farm.  “The Day Jimmy’s Boa Ate the Wash” is definitely one of the most memorable books about farm adventures ever written that many children will enjoy for years!

Trinka Hakes Noble has done an excellent job at writing this story as it details a girl’s adventures at the farm.  Trinka Hakes Noble writes the story in a creative and hilarious way as the book’s narration is set up as a dialogue between the girl and her mother, which helps children see the close interaction between the girl and her mother and seeing the story from their perspective instead of through a third person point of view meaning that there is an actual narrator narrating this story.  Trinka Hakes Noble’s writing is also hilarious as the girl details her adventures at the farm in a cause and effect fashion as each catastrophic event leads to another.  Steven Kellogg’s illustrations are both hilarious and beautiful at the same time as the children always have a smile on their faces and the antics that are caused by the realease of Jimmy’s pet boa constrictor is drawn in a chaotic way as the children and the teacher have wild looking hair and wild expressions as a peaceful trip to the farm takes a turn for the worse.

“The Day Jimmy’s Boa Ate the Wash” is a brilliant and hilarious book for children who enjoy reading about the farm and love crazy adventures and will be a favorite among many children for years.  I would recommend this book to children ages four and up since there is nothing inappropriate about this book.

* 1987 Flicker Tale Children's Book Award

  

[BOOK REVIEW] Meanwhile Back at the Ranch by Trinka Hakes Noble

Title:  Meanwhile Back at the Ranch

Author: Trinka Hakes Noble

Artist:  Tony Ross

Genre:  Family / Humor / Country

Year Published: 1987

Year Read:  2010

Publisher: Dial Books for Young Readers

Source:  Library

Content Rating:  Ages 4+  (Nothing Objectionable)

Buy on:  Amazon  //  Book Depository 

I actually first saw this book on an episode of “Reading Rainbow” and I have instantly started to love this book!  “Meanwhile Back at the Ranch” is a hilarious book written by Trinka Hakes Noble along with illustrations by Tony Ross and it is about how Rancher Hicks goes down to Sleepy Gulch to see what is happening, while his wife Elna has wild adventures on the ranch.  “Meanwhile Back at the Ranch” is a truly hilarious book that children will enjoy for many years!

Trinka Hakes Noble has done it again as she tells the story of how a couple have different adventures while they are away from each other.  Trinka Hakes Noble makes this story creative and hilarious at the same time as the story is set up from two different perspectives of the couples as Rancher Hicks’ side of the story is always boring and repetitive while Elna’s side of the story is full of excitement and children will easily love the two sided story setup.  Tony Ross’ illustrations are hilarious and surreal as the characters are drawn crudely as they have long skinny legs and odd shaped heads and even though the illustrations look a little dreary, the events that took place in this book make the illustrations more hilarious than dark.

“Meanwhile Back at the Ranch” is an extremely creative and hilarious book about two different perspectives on the lavish life and the boring life and children will love the hilarious adventures of these two couples.  I would recommend this book to children ages four and up since there is nothing inappropriate in this book.

* 1990 Flicker Tale Children's Book Award
* 1991 Grand Canyon Reader Award