Common Sense Media Review
By Jan Carr
,
based on child development research. How do we rate?
Gentle cartoon vignettes tell cozy sister story.
Parents Need to Know
Why Age 4+?
Any Positive Content?
Where to Read
Parent and Kid Reviews
What's the Story?
Older sister Matilda wants little sister Clemmie to come out and play with her on a happily unstructured Saturday, but the weather isn't cooperating. It's pouring outside, so Clemmie hangs back. When Matilda outfits her sister in rain gear and shows her how to stomp through puddles, Clemmie gets the hang of rainy-day fun. The fun ends abruptly when Matilda decides to release their balloon into the sky, but then she thoughtfully hangs a bunch of colorful new balloons on Clemmie's crib.
Is It Any Good?
The sisters' relationship in THE BIG WET BALLOON is touchingly and realistically drawn. Clemmie is convincingly young; she doesn't have the language skills to distinguish "boots" from "balloon" and has no clue how to open an umbrella. However, Matilda clearly enjoys modeling the language Clemmie needs to understand what's going on and also actively shows her how to do things. The characters have a close and loving sibling relationship. While siblings may not feel so loving every minute of the day, this book celebrates their bond.
The Big Wet Balloon is a class act. Toon Books, dedicated to publishing comics-style books for easy reading levels, is headed by Françoise Mouly, art editor of The New Yorker, so the level of art and artistry is high.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about siblings and their relationships. Do the sisters in The Big Wet Balloon remind you of your family? Do you like to help your siblings? How? Do you always feel as loving and helpful as the big sister in the story?
Why are stories about families so popular in kids' books? What's fun about having a brother or a sister? What's hard?
There's lots of talk in The Big Wet Balloon about rain. Have you ever seen a rainbow? What can you do in the rain?
Book Details
- Author :
- Illustrator : Liniers
- Genre : Family Life
- Topics : Family Stories ( Siblings ) , STEM
- Book type : Fiction
- Publisher : Toon Books
- Publication date : September 10, 2013
- Publisher's recommended age(s) : 4 - 8
- Number of pages : 32
- Available on : Nook, Hardback
- Last updated : October 1, 2025
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