The Balcony
- Subject
- Social Themes - Friendship
- Age
- 3-5 years
- Format
- Hardcover
- Pages
- 48
- Publisher
- Simon & Schuster/Paula Wiseman Books
- Size
- 15.0 cm × 29.2 cm
- ISBN
- 9781534405882
From internationally acclaimed illustrator Melissa Castrillon comes a magical story of how a girl’s garden in her new home changes her life and the lives of people all around her.
When a little girl moves from her home to an apartment in the city, she takes her pretty plants with her and one by one they grow and bloom and change both her world and the world all around her as she makes a new friend. When your heart is open, the world is full of possibilities.
About the author
Melissa CastrillonAuthor
Melissa Castrillon studied at the Cambridge School of Art where she earned a first class honors degree in illustration and a master’s degree in children’s book illustration. She is the illustrator of If I Had a Little Dream by Nina Laden. She is also the author-illustrator of The Balcony, which received the Society of Illustrators Gold Medal. Her book Dear Little One, by Nina Laden, was a School Library Journal best picture book of the year. Her books have been published all over the world. She lives in Cambridge, England, with her husband.
Data provided by BiblioShare.
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What reviewers said
CASTRILLÓN, Melissa. The Balcony. illus. by Melissa Castrillón. 48p. S. & S./Paula Wiseman Bks. Sept. 2019. Tr $17.99. ISBN 9781534405882.
PreS-Gr 2–A young girl brings along her love of the outdoors as she makes the adjustment of moving from a country home to a city apartment in this mostly wordless attestation to the possibilities of change and the meaning of home. When her mother receives a great job offer in the city, a girl is heartbroken to leave her home’s lush garden where she has found solace with the flora and fauna, only to move to an apartment where the main access to the outdoors is a small, barren balcony. Soon, with some seeds she brought with her, she starts a balcony garden that quickly flourishes, spilling over…
The girl who stars in this nearly wordless tale by Castrillón (If I Had a Little Dream) has rosy cheeks and short dark hair and lives blissfully in the countryside. Castrillón’s lush spreads of her house and its surroundings recall early modern woodcuts and traditional folk art. Movement is everywhere: curtains sway, smoke curls. Then the girl’s parents tell her that her mother has gotten a new job and they must move to the city (“Goodbye,” hand-lettered text reads). Their new brick walk-up has a balcony, and from it the girl stares forlornly at the hills where she used to play. But she’s…
A child gardener makes a new place feel like home.The young protagonist, whose skin is the pale cream of the book's paper, enjoys the lush garden of their country home, serenely having tea with animal friends. Then a job change for their parents means goodbye. Saddened, they move to an apartment in the city, from which they gaze longingly at the distant country from their third-story balcony. They plant seeds in a pot, and, seemingly overnight, an asparagus-looking bloom sprouts. It grows steadily, eventually becoming even taller than the child's parents. With more plants, the balcony soon…
“Castrillón offers riotous sprouting life through soft forms, stylized shapes, and bright colors.” — Publishers Weekly “Elegant...A charmingly verdant tale in classic style.” — Kirkus Reviews “Lovely...delightful.”
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