I'm not sure what spurred me to request The Big Wet Balloon from TOON Books. I suspect that I requested it because Liniers is a famous Argentinian cartoonist, and I was curious to see how his work translated to English. I also knew that it had to be a terrific book, as TOON Books has amazing and innovative taste. I was not disappointed.
Matilda, always the wise one, informs Clemmie "You have to TRY things, Clemmie. If you TRY something, you'll see that you LIKE it." (p. 14). Clemmie still won't budge until Matilda bounds off into the rain without her. Then she finally works up her courage and takes a risk, venturing out into the rain where the sisters do spend a fun-filled day. They have made the most of their Saturday. Even better, Matilda promises "Tomorrow is Sunday...and Sundays are FUN too!" (p. 30).
I know you've all read about my little girls, Frances and Gloria. They are wonderful sisters, mostly playing together, experiencing things together, learning about the world together. They are a pair, and while they both give each other the freedom to play by themselves (sometimes Gloria's preference), or with other friends (Frances' preference), they are rarely divided. Frances and Gloria are 18 months apart, which seems like nothing now. When they were a toddler and an infant, they seemed very different, and there didn't seem to be much hope of them ever being interested in each other. But as I write this, they are both in their beds, reading books aloud and sharing them. Don't worry, while it sounds idyllic, I'm sure a fight will start up soon!
But everything I ever learned about being a sister, I learned from the best. My own sister, Katie, is 20 months younger than me. We have (almost) always been close. I treasure my sister, and our relationship helps me keep Frances and Gloria's highs and lows in perspective. I know that sometimes they will be incredibly annoyed with each other, possibly for weeks on end, and then suddenly it will dissipate and they will be close again. My relationship with Katie growing up was almost the opposite of Matilda and Clemmie's. My sister is far more extroverted and daring than I am. I have always been content to let her lead the way in everything. There are family stories about how I never tried to get out of my crib until Katie did it first. I vividly remember cringing when Katie (who was then 8) rode her bike for the first time. I grumbled because while I had a new pink Huffy bike at that point (I was 10), I had had no interest in trying something new. I knew now that she had been successful, I would have to figure it out, and fast. She has always smoothed the way for me - with friends, with new activities, in our lives. And she continues to be my best friend and show me the way all these years later.
In this story, it is the older sister, Matilda, who shows the way. She begins the book, instantly awake and alert. Matilda sees the potential in a Saturday and guides Clemmie into excitement. "This is how you wake up on Saturday...HOOORAAYY! HOOOORAAAY! FOR ALL DAY TODAY IS SAAAATURDAAAAY!" (p. 2). This is all said with her arms thrust above her head, in excitement and delight. When Clemmie is worried about the rain, Matilda soothes her fears of getting wet "We just have to dress for it." (p. 9). Matilda fearlessly leads the way, dashing out to dance in the rain. But sometimes Matilda's impulsive excitement hurts her younger sister. The title balloon belongs to Clemmie. Matilda decides to send it to the rainbow, because the rainbow needs something colorful. It devastates Clemmie. But like any good big sister, Matilda tries to make it right in the end.
One of the things I like best about this book (which by the way was named the Best Early Reader by Parents Magazine) was how appealing it was to everyone in our house. I saw it as Liniers' love letter to a moment in his own daughters' lives (and friendship). I watched the tenderness in how closely he observed their interaction. This story depicts one of those moments that all parents treasure. But both Frances and Gloria requested and read this book over and over again. They loved the humor in the girls' relationship, as well as both relating to the sisters and their feelings. Frances and Gloria share a room, just like Matilda and Clemmie do, which makes concocting adventures together very easy.
Liniers' illustrative style also makes this book fun to read. The colors are perfect - sometimes muddy and gray as the rain comes down, bright pure pastels in the girls' room and after the rain subsides. Matilda and Clemmie have small eyes and button noses, and it is most often their mouths that carry their expressions. There are grins, grimaces and outstretched tongues. It is a fun book to look at, as the girls' emotions are readily apparent - and Matilda's enthusiasm is matchless. Liniers has even created a scrapbook feel to the pages with rain spatters across some of the panels, just as if the book had been outside on the porch with Clemmie.
The final thing I love about this book is that it is simple. There is nothing fancy about this particular Saturday - there isn't a gadget or a piece of technology to be seen. It's two little girls engaging with the outdoors and using their imaginations. While Matilda and Clemmie's parents (we assume) wait safely out of our line of vision, the girls are free to explore their yard and the storm.
One of the things I have always loved best about TOON Books is their assessment of quality and the way they help parents and teachers introduce comics to new readers. The Big Wet Balloon is a level 2 book, which TOON defines as being between 300-600 words, using short sentences, and a story arc with few characters in a small world. This is a perfect level 2 book, as with initial guidance, eventually both Frances and Gloria could read it unassisted. There are also guidelines to reading comics with kids in the back of the book. One of my favorite recommendations is "Use your finger to show your place in the text, but keep it at the bottom of the speaking character so it doesn't hide
the very important facial expressions." I think this shows the difference between using picture books or traditional early readers with your children and these comic books. Facial expressions help add so much to the text, and TOON is smart to point it out to readers who may not be familiar with this style of reading. Another recommendation is to talk with your reader about pacing and how the panels can indicate pacing of the story This isn't something we've talked about before with Frances and Gloria, but we definitely will!
TOON Books also provides lots of literacy resources on their website. We received a poster about the questions kids should ask while they read (which I will be sharing with Frances' school librarian). It includes questions about the main idea (what is this story about?) and is this story fiction or nonfiction? This poster is another example of how hard TOON Books works to promote literacy through comics.
The Big Wet Balloon is a charming story that we can't get enough of. It celebrates weekends and sisters - two things that are dear to our hearts! I can't wait to read more of Liniers' work.
The Big Wet Balloon. Liniers. TOON Books, 2013.
sent by publisher for review consideration.
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