Overview
When Sally’s family visits a hot air balloon field, the loyal black Labrador retriever is tempted by the smell of fresh chicken coming from one of the balloons. She follows the delicious scent to a balloon basket, and—whoops—the balloon takes flight! Soon she’s soaring above the ground, looking out at the tiny people below as they try to bring her back down. Beautiful panoramic scenes and Sally’s trademark witty thoughts accompany her latest adventure in the open skies, in a book that is sure to charm dog owners and fans of intrepid Sally.
F&P Level: K F&P Genre: F More than 200,000 Sally books in print!
Praise for the work of Stephen Huneck
Society of Illustrators Award
New York Times bestseller Featured in New York Times, Architectural Digest, and USA Today
Seen on CNN, PeoplePets.com, and more
Synopsis
When Sally’s family visits a hot air balloon field, the loyal black Labrador retriever is tempted by the smell of fresh chicken coming from one of the balloons. She follows the delicious scent to a balloon basket, and—whoops—the balloon takes flight! Soon she’s soaring above the ground, looking out at the tiny people below as they try to bring her back down. Beautiful panoramic scenes and Sally’s trademark witty thoughts accompany her latest adventure in the open skies, in a book that is sure to charm dog owners and fans of intrepid Sally.
More than 200,000 Sally books in print!
Praise for the work of Stephen Huneck
Society of Illustrators Award
New York Times bestseller Featured in New York Times, Architectural Digest, and USA Today
Seen on CNN, PeoplePets.com, and more
The New York Times - Jim McMullan
Sally's Great Balloon Adventure,…has pictures that are as solid and rooted to the page as the wooden blocks from which the artist printed the images. The powerfully simplified and colorful woodcuts tell the story of Sally, the black Lab, following her nose to a picnic lunch sitting in the basket of a hot-air balloon…The simple story seems almost an excuse for Huneck…to give his fans more charming pictures to pore over one by one.
Editorials
Publishers Weekly
This black Lab's family takes her to a balloon festival in the late Huneck's final Sally adventure. There, she follows the scent of fried chicken right into a balloon gondola, and up and away she goes. Though “Sally feels lucky to be alone with such delicious-smelling chicken,” a media frenzy erupts on the ground. Finally, when kids call out the name of her favorite game—“Tug-of-war”—she pulls on the rope and the balloon safely lands. Huneck's stately woodcut prints, featuring self-assured Sally's black and white-flecked silhouette against bold tableaus, lends the book a steadfast charm. Ages 4-8. (Apr.)Children's Literature -
Sally is a black Labrador retriever who is very curious and loves new experiences and adventures. In this seventh book about Sally, she and her family go to a hot-air balloon festival. When Sally catches the enticing scent of fried chicken, she follows her nose up the steps to the gondola of a balloon. Because she leans over too far, Sally falls into the basket. She tries to escape by pulling on a nearby rope. Instead, the balloon rises and soars off higher and higher. Sally is enjoying both the ride and the smell of the chicken, but back on the ground, everyone is trying to figure out how to rescue her. Luckily the balloon begins to drift downward at a school where a little girl knows just what to do to bring the balloon to the ground. The children happily feed Sally the fried chicken, and she is content. The marvelous, brilliantly colored woodcuts are central to the enjoyment of the story. On the last page is a detailed explanation by the artist of the process used to produce the woodcuts. Youngsters already familiar with Sally will certainly want to read this new episode, but it will also serve as a good introduction for newcomers. Reviewer: Sylvia FirthSchool Library Journal
PreS-Gr 2—Lured by the smell of fried chicken, Sally hops into the gondola of a hot-air balloon at a balloon festival, and the pull of a rope sets her aloft. One element of Huneck's picture-book artistry is to capture every step, emotion, thought, and intuition motivating the pup and the humans around her. Huneck shows the wafting succulent smells of the chicken, the natural response of Sally to tug on the rope to get out, and her fearlessness at being off the ground, given the fine company of fried chicken. He endows Sally with dignity and humility. From below everyone calls her name and viewers see the name delightfully etched over and over across the field. Readers will chuckle at the many ideas onlookers have to get the animal down and applaud the young girl who cleverly finds a way to land the balloon. In the final woodcut, Sally is lying down, resting, eyes closed, with three outstretched hands petting her, welcoming her back home. Readers of all ages will welcome her, too.—Sara Lissa Paulson, American Sign Language and English Lower School PS 347, New York CityJim McMullan
Sally's Great Balloon Adventure,…has pictures that are as solid and rooted to the page as the wooden blocks from which the artist printed the images. The powerfully simplified and colorful woodcuts tell the story of Sally, the black Lab, following her nose to a picnic lunch sitting in the basket of a hot-air balloon…The simple story seems almost an excuse for Huneck…to give his fans more charming pictures to pore over one by one.—The New York Times