Three Magic Balloons

by Julianna Margulies, Paul Margulies, Grant Shaffer (Illustrator)

Overview

Julianna Margulies presents this story her father wrote for her and her sisters when they were children.
 
Saturdays at the Children’s Zoo with their father always end the same way for Ariel, Miranda, and Jane: he offers them money for a treat, but they instead choose to buy food for the animals. On this particular Saturday, a mysterious balloon man gives them a small reward for their kindness—one balloon each, to be tied to their bedposts that night. Soon they find that the balloons bring them more magic than they could ever have imagined. For readers who love the magic and wonder in Uni the Unicorn by Amy Krouse Rosenthal.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781101935255
Publisher:	Random House Children's Books
Publication date:	05/10/2016
Sold by:	Random House
Format:	eBook
Pages:	40
File size:	26 MB
Note:	This product may take a few minutes to download.
Age Range:	3 - 7 Years

About the Author

JULIANNA MARGULIES is a critically acclaimed actress and producer. She is the star of CBS’s The Good Wife, for which she has won a Golden Globe and two Emmys. She has won eight Screen Actors Guild Awards, sharing that distinction with few other female performers. She lives in New York City with her husband and son.

PAUL MARGULIES wrote stories, essays, and plays, and was also an award-winning advertising executive. But his favorite role was that of a father to his three daughters, and he devoted much of his talent to writing them letters and telling them stories.
 
GRANT SHAFFER is an artist whose work has appeared in The New Yorker, The New York Times, and Interview magazine, among other publications. He lives in New York with his husband, actor Alan Cumming.

Editorial Reviews

"Tender, winsome, and loving." —Kirkus Reviews (3/1/16)


"[Shaffer} choreographs all the floating, soaring and prettiness so skillflly that the images really do seem lighter than air." —Publishers Weekly (2/8/16)


"...this modern fable is a lovely tribute to giving." —Booklist (3/15/16)

From the Publisher

05/01/2016
K-Gr 2—Three sisters, Ariel, Miranda, and Jane, regularly visit the zoo with their father. One day their father gives them each some money, and instead of buying sweets or toys, they decide to buy feed for the animals. Regularly choosing to forgo snacks and toys, the girls are one day approached by the balloon man, who has noticed their thoughtfulness and rewards them each with a balloon. When they return home, they each tie their balloons to their bedposts. That night the balloons magically transport the girls out their window, through space, and up to heaven. They meet angels and animals but must return home before morning. What starts as a story of kindness and sacrifice and seems grounded in realism shifts gears noticeably when the magic balloons begin to transport them. The flow of the story and the illustrations falls apart with the more fantastical elements. VERDICT For libraries looking to add original spiritual picture books, this selection may have appeal; for others, this is one to pass over.—Shana Morales, Windsor Public Library, CT

School Library Journal

2016-02-17
Three young sisters are granted a magical reward for their generosity. Every week the sisters and their father visit the children's zoo. Dad gives them money to buy anything they want, and, on every visit, they always choose to purchase food for the animals. The balloon seller has been watching them and gives them each a balloon. He instructs them to tie the balloons to their beds before going to sleep, and something magical and wonderful will happen. That night their beds take flight, through the window, past the clouds, and up to the stars. They meet three angels and are led to a wondrous place, filled with color and sparkling light, where they sing the night away. They drift down to Earth with birds of every color easing their return and gently helping them land right back in their own home. Feathers representing each girl commemorate their journey. Julianna Margulies retells the tale as she remembers her father, Paul, telling it, employing language and tone that make even the most magical events entirely believable while maintaining a gentle, flowing pace. Shaffer's bright, swirling illustrations enhance and enlarge the action. Those three pointy-nosed, color-coordinated little dark-haired white girls and their matching angels, balloons, and feathers are charming. There's an innocence here that never becomes preachy or overly sweet. Tender, winsome, and loving. (author's introduction) (Picture book. 3-8)

Kirkus Reviews