Ball & Balloon

by Rob Sanders, Helen Yoon (Contributor)

A ball must learn to deal with his envy when a floating balloon has him feeling down in this simple and relatable story that reminds little ones that being different is what makes you special.

Balloon can soar, he can fly, he can dip, duck, and hover—all on his own.

Balloon is full of gas. He knows it, too. It makes Ball feel grounded by gravity.

Balloon is super special. What if Ball is not so special?

Turns out Ball’s got some moves of his own.

Genres: Picture Books, Childrens, Storytime, Friendship, Humor, Science, Plays

40 pages, Hardcover

First published August 27, 2019

About the author

Rob Sanders does not work as a telephone sales rep, a loading dock worker, a trophy engraver, or an editor. But he used to. Rob is not a cowboy, a ballerina, an alien, or a temper-tantrum-throwing toddler. But he writes about them. Rob is a picture book author, a writing teacher, a blogger, and a great uncle. He worked for fifteen years in religious educational publishing as a writer, editor, editorial manager, and product designer. These days he teaches elementary kids about books and words and reading and writing, and writes books for those same kids.

Rob’s first picture book, COWBOY CHRISTMAS, was released by Golden Books/Random House in 2012. OUTER SPACE BEDTIME RACE was released by Random House Children’s Books in January 2015. RUBY ROSE ON HER TOES (the first in a two-book deal with HarperCollins) releases in 2016, and Rob just sold RODZILLA to Justin Chanda at Simon & Schuster.

Rob also coordinates the Rising Kite Writing Contest for SCBWI Florida, organizes meetings for SCBWI Florida members in the Tampa Bay area, and critiques picture book manuscripts for other writers.

Reviews

[Deb · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book is simple, but cute. Ball is feeling the effects of gravity. It's jealous of balloon. Eventually, a child comes along and solves the problems. Ball realizes being itself is fun. Being a balloon has its downside. This was the favorite of the books I read to Alena today. She loves balls and balloons, so this was great for her.

[Kimberly · Rating 4 out of 5]

Gifted to my kiddos by my lovely friend Kristin. <3

[Relyn · Rating 3 out of 5]

A bouncy little fable about being happy with who you are and what you can do.

[Alicia Evans · Rating 3 out of 5]

For: readers looking for a book about appreciating oneself and finding strengths in others.

Possible red flags: feeling sad/left out.

[Meredith · Rating 3 out of 5]

Ball feels unhappy when he compares himself to Balloon.

Balloon has many abilities that Ball envies, which leaves Ball feeling bad about himself. But when he is able to do what he does best, Ball feels better about himself, and he realizes that Balloon has limitations, too.

This is a picture book about self-acceptance, which warns against comparing oneself to others.

The story shows how different people are good at different things and have different strengths and weaknesses. It then reassures the readers that this doesn’t make one person better than another. It just makes them different.

[Joanne Roberts · Rating 3 out of 5]

I loved the art in this and the concept. Who couldn't love the dodgeball? It's a story about finding your place and understanding your strengths and being happy in your niche and a bit about friendship. I am not overly fond of inanimate object stories. This one surprised me with it's plot and while it wasn't earth-shaking, I think it's a decent kids' read. Except for the art, DEFINITELY way above decent. I could look at those illustrations over and over.

[Jason · Rating 4 out of 5]

Funny and sweet story about appreciating who you are and your unique skills/abilities. I LOLed several times. It might take some wrangling, but I think it could work as a two voice readaloud for storytime.

[Jana · Rating 4 out of 5]

Sometimes it seems that others have it so much better than everyone else, and that can leave people feeling down and like they're not good enough. Balloon is so light and able to fly high above everyone else. Ball wishes he weren't so earth bound. But it turns out that, with the help of others, ball is able to fly and roll and do all sorts of things. I like that when Balloon starts to feel deflated, Ball doesn't leave him behind. We're all meant to be in relationship and community with others and this book celebrates that.

[Melanie Hetrick · Rating 3 out of 5]

A rather dry story of a ball and a balloon. Ball initially envies Balloon because he can defy gravity. When he tries, Ball can't even roll or bounce. But when a child picks Ball up, he begins to soar, bounce and roll. Now Balloon is jealous and feeling left out. Ball makes sure he gets picked up so he's not left alone.

Great concept, just not done well. I'm not sure if the idea is science: the balloon is free of gravity's pull, but the ball must have force acted upon it??? Or is it a "concentrate on your own strengths" message? If it's not clear to me, what will children say?

[Aolund · Rating 2 out of 5]

An "it's okay to be different" book about how we all have our own strengths and weaknesses, Ball & Balloon felt unexceptional to me. While potentially useful for an elementary crew to make discussions about gravity/helium engaging, I wouldn't use this for a storytime crowd when there are books out there which use human characters to talk about being different, an approach which younger listeners would find easier to identify with.

[Matthew · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting story about a ball who is jealous of a balloon but the jealousy quickly turns around when the balloon sees all the amazing things the ball can that they can't. It's about understanding the differences everyone has and accepting those differences as unique and what makes each of us individuals. I think my review was stronger than the actual book itself. There's also a little added humor that makes this a fun read, but I probably won't remember it a week from now. My rating - 3/5

[Kelly]

Balloon is really an asshole. He's very mean to Ball. I did not like that at all. How was balloon able to move on his own and ball couldn't? Wind? If it's helium, then see ya, but if it's just air, how is he flying with no one helping him? Not realistic, not, in my mind, a good example of "I like myself."

[Jenny · Rating 4 out of 5]

Donated to my friend’s daughter’s readathon so she read me this story in a storytime session as thanks. It was a cute tale that showed how while balloon seemed really special, ball was also special. A lesson in not just comparing yourself to others but feeling comfortable in your own skin and realizing that you have enviable qualities too.

[Cheryl · Rating 3 out of 5]

It's been done so many times before, but I do appreciate the take that features characters that are not human or other animals. And I love that the child who does interact with them wears a hat and has their back to us, and has an ambiguous skin color. So, the book has universal appeal, unlike many of its competitors.

[Kristin Nelson · Rating 4 out of 5]

My 3s 4s and 5s really read the emotion off the faces of the ball and balloon. They knew just how these characters felt and were glad to see them both happy at the end. (Oops, spoiler!) I appreciated the wordplay (Balloon feeling deflated, gravity getting Ball down). Illustrations were great, especially the translucence of Balloon.

[Anna · Rating 4 out of 5]

What a cute and wonderful book! The illustrations are wonderful, the story gives you "the feels" (at least for me), and it's a sweet story about being grateful of who are you and appreciating yourself. You're awesome just the way you are!

[Eileen Winfrey · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is one of those that I'll hand over to our amazing GRC teachers for a STEM lesson. I can see lots of nice tie-ins with science activities, but it needs a little something like that to make it a compelling read.

[Sheri · Rating 4 out of 5]

Gravity has ball down and balloon are dealing with gravity and playtime. When I child plays with ball and sends him bouncing and flying and balloon loses his ability to fly someone helps them both.
Emotions, inanimate objects, and flight all wrapped in one fun story.

[James · Rating 4 out of 5]

We all need help to get off the ground and see our potential.
We shouldn't put others down just because they're different or because we think we're better.
Be kind, even to those who have been mean to you.
Even those who seem far ahead of the game may need help and a friend.

[Jessica · Rating 4 out of 5]

I thought this was kind of nice. A balloon is sort of a show off, doing all kinds of tricks in the air, and ball feels bad because it just sits there and can't do anything. But the tables get turned when the kids come out for recess. I really enjoyed the ending. I love a happy resolution.

[Bern · Rating 4 out of 5]

My son's room is home to balls that won't bounce and deflated punctured balloons. None of which can be thrown away because they are all characters with personalities, in that mind of his. So naturally, this book was a hit.

[Presley Steele · Rating 5 out of 5]

Ball and Balloon is a sweet story about two toys that compare themselves to each other. The ball thinks it’s better because it can bounce high, but the balloon shows that it has special talents too, like floating. In the end, both realize they are unique and valuable in their own ways.

[Ash · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars. They each have their strengths, they envy what the other has, and in the end discover that what they really want is to enjoy using their strengths with others. In fact, they can’t even fully use the entire capacity of their skills until they use it with others.

[Amy Hudson · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is just such a fun and awesome book on so many levels! It does talk about scientific concepts, it talks about social and emotional learning, it it’s just great. It is so great. Everyone should read this book.

[Edward Sullivan · Rating 3 out of 5]

Simple story with the message that being different is what makes you special.

[Linda Atkinson · Rating 5 out of 5]

I laughed probably more than I should have ;-)

[Elisabeth · Rating 4 out of 5]

Maybe it's just gas, but this book made me feel all warm inside! ;)

[Alyssa Gudenburr · Rating 4 out of 5]

A super cute book about a ball that really wants to float like a balloon. Teaches an important lesson that everyone has a strength and uniqueness should be celebrated.

[Ethan & Isaac · Rating 3 out of 5]

There are blessings in every circumstance, I suppose.

[Mary · Rating 3 out of 5]

Cute story and made me laugh. Good read-aloud for 4-7 y/o.