Sunday 19 August 2018

Lily's Balloon


Lily's Balloon by Katrina Roe and illustrated by Helene Magisson
(Wombat Books) https://www.wombatbooks.com.au/index.php/lily-s-balloon HB RRP $20.00 ISBN: 978-1925563399

Reviewed by Lucinda Gifford

"When Lily finds a beautiful, big, shiny balloon she wants to keep it forever. But what if somebody else needs it more?"

This is a gentle, philosophical book which guides us towards looking beyond ourselves to see the bigger picture. Lily loses her balloon, but her spirits soar as she watches it drift out towards the clouds, 'dancing on the wind'.  The balloon's journey raises the spirits of two other children, each unaware of the balloon's overall 'story', of who it will encounter and what its future will be.

This is a perfect book for talking about how we are all connected, the deeper meaning of objects, and how our actions, and our journey, affect others.

Talented illustrator Helene Magisson has created wonderful illustrations, which are gentle, atmospheric and well suited to the story. The spreads are lovely: varied and elegantly paced.

Lily’s Balloon won the pitching competition at the CYA Festival in 2014. Perhaps the story itself drifted a little while, until it found a home with Wombat Books. It will be interesting to see where Lily's balloon' goes next!


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