The Great Balloon Hullaballoo

April 1, 2014

PreS-Gr 1-What might happen if one could go anywhere in a balloon? Young Simon the Squirrel was planning to go play when his mother gives him a shopping list and clear instructions: "Don't forget CHEESE!" Somewhere along the way, a simple errand is sidetracked-initially because Simon and friends believe the moon to be made of cheese. Soon, they are riding in a balloon on an adventure that takes them off course with a comet, landing on Mars, Saturn, Uranus, the Milky Way, Neptune, through a meteor shower and back-shopping at each stop along the way. Their findings at each landing are a bit cliched (little green men, a planet of toilet paper on Uranus, and shakes at the Milky Way Parlor). Brightly painted animal friends in a water-washed, starry universe frame the text of rhyming couplets-presented in an eye-catching font-while the trio swing in a wild fantasy through the solar system to buy each item on the list. An additional or supplemental purchase for most libraries.-Mary Elam, Learning Media Services, Plano ISD, TX

Copyright 2014 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

February 3, 2014
Three easygoing animals star in this intergalactic frolic from the creators of The Great Sheep Shenanigans. “Please pop to the shop,” says Simon the Squirrel’s mother, whose shopping list includes toilet paper, bread, honey, and cheese. Since Simon knows that the moon is made of cheese, he and his pals take off in a hot-air balloon: “They shot into space with spectacular force/ Until a great comet—whooooosh!—blew them off course!” Instead, they do their shopping on various planets, buying honey and blue bread from a two-headed monster on Mars and pants from aliens on Saturn who wear them on their heads. Matsuoka’s high-spirited mixed-media art is in step with the batty humor of Bently’s couplets (“For TP this planet is just the right place!” exclaims a pink tentacled resident of Uranus, as the illustrator shows rolls of it littering the landscape). Bently again dips into cheeky humor when a meteor punctures the balloon: “ ‘Don’t panic!’ said Rodney. ‘It’s under control!’/ And he climbed up and plonked his rear end on the hole.” Good flighty fun. Ages 4–9.

March 15, 2014
A not-so-simple errand turns into a visit to distant planets and great adventures for Simon the Squirrel and his friends. With his rather eclectic shopping list in hand and some good friends, Simon flies through the universe in a hot air balloon. They head for the moon to buy some cheese--the most important ingredient--but they are blown off course by a high-jumping cow, so they go to Mars instead to buy some of the items on his list and then on to Saturn, Uranus and the others to purchase the rest. Along the way, they encounter the obligatory little green man, a hairy pink monster and other creatures of varying idiosyncrasies. He arrives home without the cheese, but his pals have it, and they all have a pizza party to celebrate. Bently charges up the silliness with singsong verses in aabb rhyme that dash madly through the escapades. There's a charming mixture of American and British vernacular, and young American readers will find sufficient contextual clues for understanding "clamber," "cross" and "daft," and there's "Mom" and "fries" for those on this side of the pond. In Matsuoka's bright, lively, stylized illustrations, most of the animals bear little resemblance to their real-life counterparts, but they fly across the pages in perfect tandem with the goofy spirit of the text. A fun-filled ride. (Picture book. 3-8)

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July 1, 2014
While doing the shopping for his mom, Simon Squirrel and his friends end up in a magical balloon--riding around the solar system, picking up items on Mom's list, and having adventures. "On Neptune they hoped to get space fish and fries. / Instead all they caught was a scary surprise!" Large illustrations, featuring wacky space creatures, reinforce the zaniness of the bouncy rhymes.

(Copyright 2014 by The Horn Book, Incorporated, Boston. All rights reserved.)