The blue balloon by Mick Inkpen

“The day after my birthday party Kipper found a soggy blue balloon in the garden. Which was odd because the balloons at my party were red and white. I blew it up”. The Blue Balloon is a story about an ordinary balloon that turns out to have “magical powers.”

How can reading The Blue Balloon support your child’s learning?  

• Each page shows a new and surprising change to the balloon adding to the excitement and engagement while reading the book.
• Surprise elements invite children to predict what might happen next.
• Encourages imagination and creative thinking.
• Introduces action words such as squeezed and squashed.
• Introduces describing words such as soggy, shiny and squeaky.
• Simple illustrations support understanding of the story.
• The boy and dog use facial expressions and body language to show emotions such as surprise, curiosity and anger.