Picture Book Review: The Remember Balloons

When I requested this book to review, I didn’t realize that it was actually the follow up to another book. I just saw super adorable birds and knew I had to have it! We had clearly never read Flight School, but that didn’t stop us from loving this story on its own. Aside from the fact that I immediately liked it because the artwork captures that undefinable cuteness of birds (that I see all the time as a bird owner) which signaled to me that the artist was familiar with hookbills on a pet level (lo and behold, she has a Senegal on her shoulder in her author photo) I related hard to this story.

Penguin has found what makes him happy in this world, and he wants to share that with his family and friends, but they just don’t get it the way he does. (It feels a lot like trying to explain to a loved one why you love a book or show they haven’t read or seen and then getting disheartened when they don’t seem as interested in it as you). They love him, they just don’t love the same things as him. But it takes poor Penguin a while to understand that. He thinks they won’t like him anymore because they don’t love what he loves. But of course, that’s not the case at all, and soon his friends find a way to tell him just that.

It’s a heartwarming little story filled with adorable birds and a lovely little message about doing what makes you happy and knowing that the people who love you will love you regardless of your different dreams. Oh, and it makes me eager to get the first book and have that one to read, too!