Picture Books About Balloons

Maybe it is that we have two family birthdays coming up soon. Or, maybe it’s the time of the year I think of fun family outings. Whatever it is, I can’t stop thinking about balloons. So, I thought I would put together a book list all about balloons!

Yes, there are some neat picture books about balloons floating around out there. Here are some of our favorites.

Balloon Picture Books

Full Disclosure: My Yellow Balloon and Monkey Balloon were given to me for review. All opinions expressed are my own. Affiliate links are contained in this post.
My Yellow Balloon by Tiffany Papageorge is a beautifully illustrated book about a boy named Joey who gets a yellow balloon at a carnival. One day the balloon slips off his wrist and drifts away. Joey feels angry, confused and sad as he tries to process his loss. As time passes he transitions from feeling sad most of the time to just some of the time. I love the last two sentences, “Wherever I am, wherever I go, you are a part of me and I am a part of you. We’re a part of each other forever and ever.” This book would be especially appropriate for any child who has experienced loss.
One of my favorite trips was to New York to see the Macy’s Parade at Thanksgiving a few years ago. Balloons Over Broadway: The True Story of the Puppeteer of Macy’s Parade by Melissa Sweet is a fascinating look behind the scenes of the most famous Thanksgiving parade.
Love Is In The Air by Jonathan Fenske is a tale of Kite and Balloon who become friends up in the air. After Kite lands in a tree, Balloon is separated from his friend, Kite. However a run in with a bird helps reunite the two friends. Don’t miss my interview with the author of Love Is In The Air that I did with him when his book was released.
My two year-old requested The Monkey Balloon by Rebecca Eisenberg and Mindy Winebrenner be read over and over again. It is the story of a monkey balloon that drifts away from a little girl. The girl and her father use their imagination to think about where the monkey balloon may have gone. Their journey ends at the zoo where they find the monkey balloon has found a special place to visit his friends.
A Balloon for Isabel by Deborah Underwood was another favorite in our house. Isabel is a porcupine and more than anything she wants a balloon for graduation. But, balloons and porcupines don’t go together. Well, Isabel comes up with a plan so that she can have that balloon for graduation without popping it.
Sebastian and the Balloon by Philip Stead is the story of a boy who pieces together his grandmother’s afghans and quilts to create a hot air balloon. On his adventure he has a run in with a bird who puts a hole in his balloon. Luckily for Sebastian, he lands on a house full of knitters that can help him!
Have you ever wondered what happens to a released balloon? Where Do Balloons Go? An Uplifting Mystery by Jamie Lee Curtis takes us on a journey of where a balloon might go.
Can you imagine a farmer that grows balloons? Well Harvey Potter is that farmer! Harvey Potter’s Balloon Farm by Mark Buehner was a favorite book of my kids when I was teaching in the classroom.
Hot Air by Marjoire Priceman is the mostly true story of the first hot air balloon ride way back in the late 1700’s. The illustrations are beautiful which won Pricemann a Caldecott Honor.
You may remember The Red Balloon by Albert Lamorisse from your childhood. It’s the story of a lonely boy in Paris who finds a red balloon tied to a street lamp and it is there that his journey with his new friend begins.