The Red Balloon

The book was certainly not appropriate as a gift for a toddler, just past his first birthday. But he was my first son, and I was not accustomed to shopping for toddlers. I was away from home for the first time since his birth. I found it in a department store, across the street from my hotel. Somehow he bonded with the book. Among his first words were “boon book.”

The book was The Red Balloon (Doubleday, 1957). It is based on the French film, made by A. Lamorisse, and it is illustrated with copious photographs made during the filming. Most of the photographs are black-and-white, some of them spectacular; for example, the balloon floating up beside the crusty windows and shutters of an rundown apartment building in Paris during the show more decade after World War II. There is all that cracked and moldy plaster, all those lines and angles, the cheap curtains and some old wrought-iron guard-rails, and then there is the bright orb of the balloon, trailing its string. On the next page, Pascal reaches out of his shabby window frame and the balloon floats within his reach.

“Friends will do all kinds of things for you. If the friend happens to be a balloon, it doesn’t fly away.”

For it is a magic balloon. It is Pascal’s pet. It follows him to school and to church, where it is not welcome. But when Pascal stops to admire a painting of a little girl in an art exhibit, suddenly he sees a real little girl, who looks just like the one in the painting. She is holding a blue balloon.

The red balloon brightens the drab streets of war-blasted Paris, the narrow alleys and the steep steps, the fading graffiti and ragged posters. And it attracts the attention of bullies, who want to steal it—or destroy it.

There is too much text in the book for a toddler, perhaps not enough color. The photographs are not simple and cheerful; the story is not simple and cheerful.

But for my son and me—well, it was our first significant reading experience together. We shared it time and time again.

See the film if you can. It’s a little masterpiece. And share the “boon book” with a child. Perhaps not a one-year-old toddler. But someone with whom you want to bond.

“If the friend happens to be a balloon, it doesn’t fly away.” show less

I really liked The Red Balloon. First, the book has pictures that were taken during filming, so instead of illustrations the book has photographs that depict what is going on in the story. The photographs fit the style of writing. The writing is a chronological story of a boy and his friend which is a balloon so they capture each scene of the story. Secondly, the writing is engaging and well organized. It's a very unusual story which is engaging in itself. At one point in the story his mom releases the balloon out the window but it stays put it doesn't float away. Readers will find this interesting because in real life that's not possible. The writing is organized because it has a clear rising action, climax, falling action, and show more resolution. Finally, the book pushes readers to think differently. Most children reading this book wouldn't think about someones best friend as being a balloon. This widens their detention of what a best friend is or what can be important to someone. There are boys that are mean to the boy Pascal but he never lets them get to him and it teaches children to not let bullies get you down, but just to be yourself. show less

I don't get it. Nice enough story if you empathize, could certainly be considered a timeless fable I suppose, but it just doesn't do much for me. Also it makes me even less interested in visiting Paris; I do not know the appeal. I do love Pascal's little suit, though. And I empathize with his old mother; clearly she didn't expect a child at her time of life.

(Never saw the movie; maybe I'd like it better or see more in it.)

Un tres joli livre dont les images sont tirées du célèbre film de'Albert Lambrisse, un chef-d''ouvre du cinema française. A voir et a lire pour les enfants a partir de 6 ans.

One of my favorite children's films of all time...in book form.