I Have a Balloon

“This tightly paced narrative soars.” —Kirkus Reviews (starred review)

“An owl and a monkey confront jealousy, the fickleness of want, and the influence of other perspectives in this high-energy story.” —Publishers Weekly (starred review)

“A definite purchase that will be checked out again and again.” —School Library Journal

Owl has a balloon. Monkey does not. What will happen next? Hint: this is not a book about sharing.

Owl has a red balloon. Monkey does not. “That red balloon matches my shiny red tie,” says Monkey. “I’d look fancy walking to school with a shiny red balloon. The only thing I’ve ever wanted, since right now, is a shiny, big red balloon. It would make me SO HAPPY!” But Owl does not want to give it to him. So Monkey tries to find something that Owl wants: a teddy bear, a robot, a picture of TEN balloons. Owl does not want any of these things. But then, Monkey offers him…a sock!

Hmmmmm…Owl is intrigued. Will he trade his shiny red balloon with Monkey?

Ariel Bernstein is the author of I Have a Balloon (which received starred reviews from Publishers Weekly and Kirkus Reviews and was a Junior Library Guild Selection); Where Is My Balloon?, a Bank Street Best Book of the Year; and We Love Fishing!, which Publishers Weekly called “relatable and funny” in a starred review. She lives in New Jersey with her family. Learn more at ArielBernsteinBooks.com.

Scott Magoon has illustrated many critically-acclaimed picture books, including the New York Times bestselling Rescue & Jessica by Jessica Kensky and Patrick Downes, which also received a Schneider Family Book Award, Straw by Amy Krouse Rosenthal, and Misunderstood Shark by Ame Dyckman. He is the author-illustrator of Breathe, which was named a Kirkus Reviews Best Read Aloud and a Best Book of the Year by the HuffPost and Chicago Public Library. Scott lives in the Boston area with his wife and two sons. Visit him online at ScottMagoon.com.