Philip C. Stead is the author of the 2011 Caldecott Medal book, A Sick Day for Amos McGee. His book, A Home for Bird, received four starred reviews and was called "a deeply satisfying story" by Kirkus Reviews, while his most recent book, Hello, My Name is Ruby, has earned three starred reviews. Philip lives with his wife, illustrator Erin E. Stead, in Ann Arbor, Michigan.
Sebastian and the Balloon
Hardcover
$17.99
- ISBN-13: 9781596439306
- Publisher: Roaring Brook Press
- Publication date: 10/07/2014
- Pages: 40
- Sales rank: 432,812
- Product dimensions: 9.20(w) x 11.00(h) x 0.60(d)
- Lexile: AD530L (what's this?)
- Age Range: 3 - 7 Years
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On a boring day, on a dull street, Sebastian sat high atop his roof—something he was never supposed to do. When he launched himself into the air in his balloon made of Grandma's afghans and patchwork quilts, his journey took on a life of its own and his boring day turned into the adventure of a lifetime.
From award-winning author/illustrator Philip C. Stead, comes another timeless adventure with his trademark whimsical illustrations and an unwavering spirit. This title has Common Core connections.
A Neal Porter Book
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The New York Times Book Review - Daniel Handler
As with Sendak or [Haruki] Murakami, one has the sense that literally anything can happen, without the work feeling reckless or ungrounded…Sebastian and the Balloon…feels like a story one hears from a child, intriguingly full of missing information.Publishers Weekly
08/11/2014Stead returns to elements of A Home for Bird and Jonathan and the Big Blue Boat in this story of a spontaneous journey, motivated by boredom. “There is nothing to see on my street,” laments Sebastian, observing his drab neighborhood from the steep roof of his house. Two page turns later, the boy has built a spherical hot-air balloon “from Grandma’s afghans and patchwork quilts” and sets off. Each time Sebastian lands, he meets someone and shares a pickle sandwich; soon, a bear, a stork, and three elderly sisters have come aboard. Together they travel to a rickety wooden roller coaster, which they repair and ride “until the wind picked up and it was time to go.” With a retro palette of cyan, rust orange, and mustard, Stead’s moody charcoal-line illustrations recall Ray Cruz’s 1970s illustrations for Judith Viorst’s Alexander books. The low-key story is infused with melancholy (Sebastian never smiles) yet offers a degree of comfort as Sebastian and his fellow lonely hearts band together on a journey with no real destination in mind. Ages 3–7. Agent: Emily van Beek, Folio Literary Management. (Oct.)
From the Publisher
*A sweet and quirky flight of fancy.” —Booklist, STARRED REVIEW“Nostalgic charm pervades Stead's latest offering . . . 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.'” —The Horn Book
“*Readers who don't mind a slightly open-ended narrative will adore this dreamy, experiential story for its quirky charms . . . Marvelous artwork.” —School Library Journal, STARRED REVIEW
“*Stead does not dissapoint, giving readers another beautifully rendered picture book full of whimsy, heart and delight.” —Kirkus Reviews, starred review
“The low-key story is infused with melancholy... yet offers a degree of comfort as Sebastian and his fellow lonely hearts band together on a journey...” —Publishers Weekly
Children's Literature - Ken Marantz and Sylvia Marantz
From high on his roof, young Sebastian decides he needs to see something new. Having built a colorful balloon from his grandmother’s afghans and quilts, and gathered what he thinks he may need, he floats away. Stopping for a snack, he meets a “real bear,” which joins him in a sandwich and then in the balloon. While they are in the fog, a tall bird pops the balloon making them fall onto a roof. Three sisters who live there use the needles and yarn that Sebastian thoughtfully packed to fix the balloon. When again it is “time to go,” they go along in the balloon. Arriving at a “most perfect roller coaster,” they discover that it needs repair. Again Sebastian has luckily brought along “all the things he would ever need” to fix it. Then they all can ride through the day into the night across double pages until it is again “time to go.” Stead has used pastels, oil paints, and pressed charcoal with an energetic, nervous line to support the naturalistic but imaginative fantasy. The three sisters add a comic note; the roller coaster’s latticework at first seems impossible to fix, making the final result more impressive. The use of color varies for interesting contrasts as the unusual story progresses to the satisfying end. Reviewer: Ken Marantz and Sylvia Marantz; Ages 4 to 7.School Library Journal
★ 08/01/2014K-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, MN
Kirkus Reviews
★ 2014-08-01Sebastian, an Everychild from his plain, russet face and nondescript hair to his striped socks, creates a hot air balloon from his grandmother's quilt scraps and goes on a joyous, never-ending journey. When Sebastian decides that he needs to see the world beyond his tired street of identical houses, he gathers "all the things he would ever need" and boards his huge hot air balloon. "He charted a course. He checked the breeze. He cut the strings… // and floated free." Those last three words float over a large white moon, which in turn is suspended in a double-page spread of vast, textured, blue-and-black sky. Against the moon is Sebastian in his colorful balloon, his faithful cardinal friend hovering nearby. This is the first of many frame-worthy pictures, as Sebastian and the bird form friendships with a winsome bear, a "very tall bird" and—yes, Shakespeare enthusiasts—three weird (but charming) sisters, all of whom eventually crowd into the balloon and advance the journey. Expressive charcoal drawings colored with layers of pastels and oil paints add to the dreamlike quality of the tale. The sophisticated nature of the book requires readers to slow down and read the pictures as carefully as the text—and both carry equal, impressive weight. Stead does not disappoint, giving readers another beautifully rendered picture book full of whimsy, heart and delight. (Picture book. 3-7)