[I received a review copy of this book from the publisher.  No other compensation was received.]

The Monkey Balloon, filled with bright, bold backgrounds and silhouetted people, tells an engaging story about a little girl and her father in search of her lost balloon.

Papi gets a beautiful balloon of a monkey holding a banana at the carnival and gives it to his daughter, Mimi.  Mimi is devastated when her monkey balloon is carried away by the wind.  Her father, Papi, asks her where she thinks her balloon may have gone.  Mimi makes suggestions and they search the ice cream shop, playground, a passing bus, and the ocean.  Finally they find the monkey balloon at the zoo!  All is happy!

Title: The Monkey Balloon

Authors:  Rebecca Eisenberg and Mindy Winebrenner

Illustrator:  Yuki Osada

Five Little Monkeys, June 2014, 37 pages. Fiction. ISBN: 978-0615839257

Suitable For Ages: 1 – 5+ (Really all ages.)

Themes/Topics:

Balloons, Father/Daughter

Opening:   

“Balloons!” says Mimi.  “Which one would you like?” asks Papi.  “I want the Monkey Balloon, Papi!”

Brief Synopsis:

When Mimi loses her beautiful monkey balloon, her father helps her look for it.

From The Monkey Balloon. Images Courtesy Rebecca Eisenberg.

From The Monkey Balloon. Images Courtesy Rebecca Eisenberg.

From The Monkey Balloon. Images Courtesy Rebecca Eisenberg.

Links To Resources:

• The Monkey Balloon website has helpful tips on how parents can encourage children to retell a story.
• There’s also a great post on language and learning tips.  
• A great article on reference font and increasing literacy skills at Rebecca Eisenberg’s site.
• Rebecca also has a great list of books with her reviews on her site.  She has great reviews of picture books here.
• Friendship Circle — 5 Ways to Make Book Reading a Sensory Experience for Your Child with Special Needs

Why I Like The Monkey Balloon and Why You Should Read It:

• This is a fun, simple, and well-told story that engages my one-year-old (specifically 14-month-old) son!  He babbles along as I read it to him and enjoys gazing at the bright illustrations and the black silhouetted people.
• There’s a great amount of repetition and the clear illustrations make it easy for me to point to specific things while reading the story to him.
• At the end of the book are two pages filled with language and learning tips for very young children.  It gives realistic expectations (without causing unnecessary anxiety) of when you can expect your children to have acquired particular skills such as knowing prepositions and using basic action words.
• This book also gives helpful suggestions as to what parents can do to encourage language acquisition and visual awareness.
• It has a happy ending!  There’s nothing to fret — Mimi finds her beautiful monkey balloon and all ends well.
• The silhouetted people remind me a bit of Tana Hoban’s books.
• My four-year-old son enjoys this book, too!  He once had an experience losing his beloved balloon — and he enjoyed reading about Mimi and Papi’s adventure.
• With my four-year-old son, it was fun asking him to retell this story back to me.  I loved hearing what he added, what he glossed over, and what details he found to be the most important.
• You can tell that this book was developed by child development experts — their focus, use of drama, use of repetition, and happy resolution make this book not only an entertaining read, but also a fun exercise in listening and learning skills.  It’s excellently done!

Where to Get it:

• [Affiliate Link] Amazon.com 
• [Library] Worldcat.org – Ask your library for it.
• [Independent Bookstore] IndieBound.org

Author/Illustrator Websites:

• The Monkey Balloon Website (with information about all of the book’s creators)
• Authors:  Rebecca Eisenberg, Mindy Winebrenner
• Illustrator: Yuki Osada

More Reviews of this Book:

• Bank Street Bookstore — If you don’t know about Bank Street, now is a great time to learn! (They’re a big deal.)
• Dan Lewis — 13 Books For Young Children Chosen By 3 Young Children I Happen to Know

Where Obtained:  I received a review copy from the publisher. No other compensation was received.  I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”

FTC Disclosures:  Some of the links in the post above are Amazon affiliate links and others are IndieBound affiliate links. If you click on the link and purchase something, I will receive an affiliate commission at no additional cost to you. Which goes to fund my family’s picture book habit.  It’s a vicious cycle, but we manage.  I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”