My Hot Air Balloon

My Hot Air Balloon, written by Karen Carr and illustrated by Leigh Drzycimski, is a sweet bedtime book about a boy who envisions taking off with his dog in a hot air balloon. He imagines what the world would look like from heaven’s view and what people would say as they watch him soar with clouds and eagles, over farms of corn, beans, hay and cows. The illustrations include verses from the New Testament, adding a religious element to this picture book.Together, Ms. Carr’s gentle words along with Ms. Dryzycimki’s lovely water-colored illustrations capture the feeling of what it would be like to see the world from above. Children will enjoy following along and joining in on repeating the catchy refrain, “In my hot air balloon, Way up high, almost to the moon.”By Joni Klein-Higger Author

My Hot Air Balloon. In this picture book by Karen Carr inspired by the imagination of her own grandsons, a young boy imagines flying high above the earth and looking down. The colorful artwork by Leigh Drzycimski is full of patterns and people as seen from “way up high almost to the moon.” My favorite picture is the one of the fields and the black and white cows with striped, stick-like legs. This touch of whimsy fits the story well. The text is simple and reads best aloud. Very young children, perhaps ages three to five, should enjoy this story and accompanying pictures.

My Hot Air Balloon is a cute and cozy picture book. I think kids would love to hear it read as a bedtime story. It takes them up in the air in their imaginations as the narrator imagines floating in a hot air balloon. And the illustrations are just right to show what the words tell about. On one page ihe book mentions that God created everything the boy telling the story can see, but the book isn't preachy at all.