Jacqueline Preiss Weitzman

This charming wordless picture-book, a collaborative project between two sisters, follows the interconnected stories of a young girl visiting New York City's Metropolitan Museum of Art, and her yellow balloon. As the girl tours the museum with her grandmother, examining the many priceless works of art, her yellow balloon "tours" the Central Park area of Manhattan, pursued by the security guard who promised to look after it. In a dual "narrative" that is both entertaining and educational, the show more various works of art seen by the girl are reflected in the chaotic scenes created in pursuit of the balloon. Or is that the other way around...?

Clever, amusing, and very effective, You Can't Take a Balloon into the Metropolitan Museum belongs to the fairly small company of picture-books which manage to tell a story without any words. Robin Preiss Glasser, the illustrator behind the Fancy Nancy books, delivers an immensely detailed, energetic panorama. I assume that Jacqueline Preiss Weitzman, who is credited as the author, despite the absence of any text, must have written the story idea, upon which the artwork is based.

In any case, they have succeeded in creating a wonderful book, ideal for the child who lives in New York City, or who is visiting, or for the child who has an interest in art. An afterword gives more information on the specific works viewed by the girl and her grandmother, should young readers want to pursue the subject further. show less

Jacqueline Preiss Weitzman and Robin Preiss Glasser deliver another entertaining wordless picture-book in You Can't Take a Balloon Into the National Gallery, which follows the same little girl and grandmother who toured the Met in You Can't Take a Balloon into the Metropolitan Museum. The family is in Washington, D.C., and although this time they have little brother in tow, and the balloon is red rather than yellow, the basic concept is the same. The girl and her grandmother tour the show more National Gallery, as her balloon makes its way around the capital, causing chaos as it is pursued by a growing number of frantic and highly disheveled citizens.

Children will pore over Glasser's detailed illustrations, enjoying the many humorous incidents depicted, while also learning a little bit about Washington, D.C. An informative afterword provides more information, both on the works of art that are shown, and on the many faces from American history that have been cleverly inserted into the crowd, at various points. I enjoyed this second effort from the Preiss sisters, finding it both educational and entertaining, although I didn't think it quite the equal of the first. Still, I look forward to the third and (to date) final installment, You Can't Take a Balloon into the Museum of Fine Arts. show less

This book is full of life and energy that steadily builds up until the dramatic and clamorous conclusion. It was a good decision to keep this picture book wordless. It is already quite busy and over the top and the added words would make it too cluttered and dense. I also think it was smart to leave portions of the illustrations as uncolored line drawings to focus the attention on the intended action and plot. I almost wish, though, that those portions of the illustrations were omitted to show more simplify the design, but I do see their intent: they create a full, detailed essence of Boston. This book also creates clever and charming parallels between famous works of art at the BMFA and daily life in the city itself via many famous monuments and locations. This book could be very effective for teaching about the city of Boston since any captions can be added to the wordless pictures. It could also be very engaging to children familiar with Boston or a child who will be visiting Boston. Even if not used for a specific purpose, I believe many children could enjoy this upbeat tale and maximalist style. show less

This book is a labor of love. You can see it on every single page of the book. This book is completely wordless and it’s about a little girl who goes to the museum with their adult and they get told the balloon has to stay out. Through the comedic panels we follow the little girl as she visits the real-life art exhibit, and we follow a museum docent as they’re trying to get the balloon once birds send it flying. This book could be read repeatedly and come up with new scenarios for what show more each picture represents. And seeing how the docent in is mimicking what the girl is seeing in the museum, priceless. show less