2018 School Spending Survey Report
Sebastian and the Balloon
illus. by Philip C. Stead. 40p. Roaring Brook/Neal Porter Bks. Oct. 2014. RTE $17.99. ISBN 9781596439306.
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K-Gr 2—Sebastian sits on the roof of his house. "There is nothing to see on my street, he thought. Nothing to see at all." Readers see a close-up of the glum boy and the top of the roof; his world indeed looks small and boring. On the page turn, he decides, "Tonight I'll leave and see something new for a change." Now Sebastian stands on the roof silhouetted by a giant moon, and the whole neighborhood is revealed. Although the houses are uniform and unexciting, the world seems large and full of possibilities. Accompanied by a little bird, Sebastian sets off in a balloon built from afghans and quilts. He and his companion share pickle sandwiches with a bear, crash into a tall bird that pops their balloon, and land on the house of a trio of elderly knitters who repair the vehicle. When the wind picks up, they all fly off together to find "The most perfect roller-coaster you will ever see." They fix the broken-down coaster and spend the day enjoying their handiwork, "Until the wind picked up and it was time to go." Readers who don't mind a slightly open-ended narrative will adore this dreamy, experiential story for its quirky charms. Stead's trademarks are present in this volume: pithy, talking animals, quixotic travel, and a matter-of-fact sensibility offsetting fantastic events. Marvelous artwork guarantees that his fans won't be disappointed.—Anna Haase Krueger, Ramsey County Library, MNSebastian sets out in a hot-air balloon made of a box, strings, and "Grandma's afghans and patchwork quilts" to see something new. Encounters with "a real bear" and "a very tall bird" culminate in a mission to repair a derelict roller coaster. Stead's pictures revel in the rich colors and textures of pastels, oils, and charcoal. The illustrations match the text's nostalgic feel.
Nostalgic charm pervades Stead's latest offering, beginning with the age-old inducement of boredom to propel its protagonist into adventure. After gathering "all the things he would ever need," Sebastian sets out in a hot-air balloon to "see something new for a change." His vessel is made of a box, strings, and "Grandma's afghans and patchwork quilts"; a small, red bird (unmentioned by the text) flies along as his companion. Delightful encounters with "a real bear" and "a very tall bird" culminate in a (gentle) crash-landing on the roof of a house belonging to three elderly sisters. The sisters help mend the balloon and tell the travelers about "the most perfect roller coaster you will ever see." That's all the enticement our quirky band of adventurers needs, but when they arrive, they see that the roller coaster needs repair; and so they set to work with the supplies Sebastian brought on his journey. Throughout, Stead's art is composed of all the things he needs, as pictures revel in the rich colors and textures of pastels, oils, and charcoal while exercising great restraint with uncluttered backgrounds and an absence of frames. The illustrations match the text's nostalgic feel, with a style at turns reminiscent of Brian Wildsmith and Bernard Waber, and yet this book is anything but derivative; it, like all Sebastian sees, is "something new." megan dowd lambert
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