Sally's Great Balloon Adventure

by Stephen Huneck

Overview

A hot air balloon!

When Sally's family visits a hot air balloon field, the curious black Labrador retriever is tempted by the smell of fresh chicken coming from one of the balloons. Following the delicious scent into the basket, Sally slips in, and - WHOOPS! The balloon takes flight! Told from the eyes of Sally the dog and brought to life through charming and brightly colored artwork, this endearing story of Sally's vacation is the perfect travel companion for any child with a sense of fun and adventure. Beautifully illustrated, this charming story inspires a life-long love of reading, captures the imagination of readers and dog lovers everywhere!

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781620280966
Publisher:	Trajectory, Inc
Publication date:	02/01/2012
Series:	Sally Series
Sold by:	Trajectory
Format:	eBook
File size:	8 MB
Age Range:	4 - 7 Years

About the Author

Narrated by: Amanda McDermott of the Stephen Huneck Gallery and Dog Mountain, St. Johnsbury, VT

Editorial Reviews

Sally's Great Balloon Adventure,…has pictures that are as solid and rooted to the page as the wooden blocks from which the artist printed the images. The powerfully simplified and colorful woodcuts tell the story of Sally, the black Lab, following her nose to a picnic lunch sitting in the basket of a hot-air balloon…The simple story seems almost an excuse for Huneck…to give his fans more charming pictures to pore over one by one.
—The New York Times

Jim McMullan

This black Lab's family takes her to a balloon festival in the late Huneck's final Sally adventure. There, she follows the scent of fried chicken right into a balloon gondola, and up and away she goes. Though “Sally feels lucky to be alone with such delicious-smelling chicken,” a media frenzy erupts on the ground. Finally, when kids call out the name of her favorite game—“Tug-of-war”—she pulls on the rope and the balloon safely lands. Huneck's stately woodcut prints, featuring self-assured Sally's black and white-flecked silhouette against bold tableaus, lends the book a steadfast charm. Ages 4-8. (Apr.)

Publishers Weekly

Sally is a black Labrador retriever who is very curious and loves new experiences and adventures. In this seventh book about Sally, she and her family go to a hot-air balloon festival. When Sally catches the enticing scent of fried chicken, she follows her nose up the steps to the gondola of a balloon. Because she leans over too far, Sally falls into the basket. She tries to escape by pulling on a nearby rope. Instead, the balloon rises and soars off higher and higher. Sally is enjoying both the ride and the smell of the chicken, but back on the ground, everyone is trying to figure out how to rescue her. Luckily the balloon begins to drift downward at a school where a little girl knows just what to do to bring the balloon to the ground. The children happily feed Sally the fried chicken, and she is content. The marvelous, brilliantly colored woodcuts are central to the enjoyment of the story. On the last page is a detailed explanation by the artist of the process used to produce the woodcuts. Youngsters already familiar with Sally will certainly want to read this new episode, but it will also serve as a good introduction for newcomers. Reviewer: Sylvia Firth

Children's Literature - Sylvia Firth

PreS-Gr 2—Lured by the smell of fried chicken, Sally hops into the gondola of a hot-air balloon at a balloon festival, and the pull of a rope sets her aloft. One element of Huneck's picture-book artistry is to capture every step, emotion, thought, and intuition motivating the pup and the humans around her. Huneck shows the wafting succulent smells of the chicken, the natural response of Sally to tug on the rope to get out, and her fearlessness at being off the ground, given the fine company of fried chicken. He endows Sally with dignity and humility. From below everyone calls her name and viewers see the name delightfully etched over and over across the field. Readers will chuckle at the many ideas onlookers have to get the animal down and applaud the young girl who cleverly finds a way to land the balloon. In the final woodcut, Sally is lying down, resting, eyes closed, with three outstretched hands petting her, welcoming her back home. Readers of all ages will welcome her, too.—Sara Lissa Paulson, American Sign Language and English Lower School PS 347, New York City

School Library Journal