You Can't Take a Balloon Into the National Gallery

by Jacqueline Preiss Weitzman

Book Overview

In this wordless tale a little girl visits the National Gallery of Art, leaving her bright orange balloon with a kindly photographer outside the museum. The balloon flies loose (with the photographer and others in madcap pursuit) and the balloon's adventures mirror the works of art the girl is seeing.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0803723032
• ISBN13: 9780803723030
• Release Date: May 2000
• Publisher: Dial Books
• Length: 40 Pages
• Weight: 1.35 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.5" x 11.3" x 11.3"
• Age Range: 5 to 8 years
• Grade Range: Kindergarten to Grade 3

Customer Reviews

An Amazing Adventure in D. C.

Grandma is taking a little girl and her brother to the National Gallery of Art. As they walk in, the little girl hands her balloon to a nice photographer to hold for her, since balloons are not allowed inside. But as the three begin their tour of the gallery, the balloon comes loose and sails away..... You Can't Take a Balloon Into the National Gallery is a creative and inventive picture book that will entrance and mesmerize youngsters of all ages with its busy, expressive artwork, great attention to detail and famous Americans hidden in the pictures. The Preiss sister's marvelous and clever pen and ink illustrations, with bright color used only to highlight the chaos of the balloon's trip, parallels the tour inside the gallery, as life imitates art and art imitates life. This book includes a wonderfully detailed map of the balloon's route through D.C. and an answer key full of fun facts and historical notes for their hidden faces, at the end. It's impossible to open this book without finding something new and exciting that you've never seen before. For hours of fun, You Can't Take a Balloon Into the National Gallery is an adventure that will delight and amuse everyone in the family.

WOW!!!

As I have just written in my 5-star review of "You Can't Take a Balloon to The Metropolitan Museum,": The really good news is that the Preiss sisters HAVE written another book and are working on a third. The second in this series, You Can't Take a Balloon to The National Gallery, is also fabulous. In fact, it is so good that, up until 2 weeks ago, my 3 year old would point out about twice a week that we had not been to the "Natural Gallery" when I asked her what we should do that day. The only thing that changed since then is that I took her and her 1 year old sister to Washington last week, using the book as a guide book. If you think you like these books now, try using them as a template for a trip with your children! WOW!!!!!! What a wonderful way to get them ready for a trip and what a wonderful thing to carry the book with you, comparing what you are seeing to what you have read!!!! How great to go back to the hotel and see what you have seen and are going to see!!!! How great to get home and have an instant scrap book!!!! With this experience behind us, we also can't wait until next Spring when You Can't Take a Balloon to The Museum of Fine Arts, Boston is scheduled to come out!

Wild Adventure is key to Life and Learning

A profound success on many fronts. I'm totally taken by its creativity, cleverness, and messages. This book has adventure, drama, historical details -- I love the "Faces from History" part (plus the learning within them), as offered ever so playfully! At the same time, "You Can't Take A Balloon..." is warm and filled with great joy. If all learning was presented so refreshingly, we'd have a different world!

Art On a Child's Level

This book is brilliant!The method of walking through the National Gallery of Art and through the streets of our nation's capitol has brought both into our home at a level that can be shared with my children.