You Can't Take a Balloon into the National Gallery

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 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 show more 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

I thought this book was really different than most picture books that I have seen; therefore, I really liked it. I thought this was different than other wordless picture books was because it had a lot more detail in every single picture. Also there was not just one picture per page sometimes there were even three or four! I really liked it because it tells a story of a little girl, boy, and an adult going to throughout Washington, D.C. The book starts with the little girl with the balloon. It is also a funny book because the characters are traveling through the museums while the adult is trying to find and catch up with the balloon, since it was taken away from them. I think a teacher could teach a fun history lesson with this book, show more discussing vocabulary of what you can find at a museum and galleries, or even just in the Nation’s capital. The main idea of this book is to show the reader what he or she can find in a museum. Whether they find president statues, pictures, art, even the security of the museum, it really is an informative picture book. I thought this book was really cute and I even have used it to create a lesson plan for. show less

A young girl explores the National Gallery while her balloon explores Washington, D.C.

RESPONSE: I love the detailed artwork and the tongue-in-cheek humor provided by some of the comparisons between the art and the events in D.C. It's a great book to encourage children to be interested in fine art.

THEMES/CONCEPTS: adventure, fine art, national history, government

Cute and textless, something a pre-reader can really enjoy by herself.

***

It was fine before, but now that I have been to the National Gallery it's even better. Amusingly although we looked at a lot of art, I failed to see any of the pieces reproduced here. And I had completely forgotten about how the DC tour was reflected in the art, or that historical personages were drawn into the street scenes.

Library copy

A story that relies purely on the illustrations (there is no written text) that moves between the story of a girl looking at art in the National Gallery in Washington DC, and the crazy antics happening outside which seem to mirror that artworks she is viewing (some more subtly than others). All of the crazy antics outside the Gallery are due to a balloon the girl is not allowed to take inside with her.

Nice illustrations, with reproductions of the art in question. Smaller listeners may have a bit of trouble linking the ‘outside’ goings-on with the artwork in question, but they are sure to enjoy the crazy antics never the less.

Jerry Pinkney's The Lion & the Mouse and Jacqueline Preiss Weitzman and Robin Preiss Glasser's You Can't Take a Balloon Into The National Gallery both guide readers into their own imagination with these wordless books. Pinkney's The Lion & the Mouse is based on Aesop's fable although Pinkney has created extraordinary illustrations that takes your breathe away. He's created pages that takes you into the African safari or a watercolor painting. Children of all reading levels will relish with this remake of a classic fable.

Weitzman and Glasser's You Can't Take a Balloon Into The National Gallery also takes readers to a real place: National Gallery of Art. Filled with pages of colorful illustrations and real life art pieces found around show more Washington DC, readers will laugh and smile while following the red balloon. Children will be introduced to the national monuments and landmarks of DC as well as learning about historical figures in American culture. This is an imaginative wordless book that all readers will enjoy.

Pinkney, J. (2009). The lion & the mouse. New York: Little, Brown and Company.

Weitzman, J. & Glasser, R. (2000). You Can't Take a Balloon Into The National Gallery. New York: Dial Books for Young Readers. show less

So fun. There's so much to see!