The Balloon Sailors

Sylvia Pantaleo is an associate professor of education, specializing in
children’s literature, at the University of Victoria. She is the
co-author of Learning with Literature in the Canadian Elementary
Classroom.

King Zod divides his kingdom between his twin sons, Frack and Frick, who
loathe each other. The selfish new monarchs care nothing that families,
friends, and facilities are separated by the tall stone wall that’s
been erected to divide the land. After attaching their notes to balloons
and sending them over the wall to their grandmother, who lives on the
other side, Tamala and Abalon decide to create a large hot-air balloon
to carry their whole family across the stone wall. The children search
for a gas burner to heat the balloon’s air, Father weaves the large
basket that will carry them, and everyone gathers cloth for Mother to
sew together to make the balloon. The family must be cautious about
their actions, because the two kings have spies everywhere. Finally the
balloon is ready, and one night when the wind is right the family climbs
into the basket and lifts off. Although the soldiers spot them and shoot
at them, they successfully sail over the wall. The family is reunited
with their grandmother, and their courage, ingenuity, and determination
are rewarded.

Swanson’s picture book is based on actual events. The Berlin Wall,
built by East German soldiers in 1961, created East and West Berlin.
Swanson explains in an endnote how two East German families “sewed a
balloon that was four stories tall,” tied it to a basket, and sailed
over the Berlin Wall in 1979.

The Balloon Sailors is a suspenseful story that communicates the
importance of family and freedom. The severity of the political climate
in the divided kingdom is depicted with honesty. The earthy
colours—browns, golds, greys—that Lipka-Sztarballo uses in her
watercolour-and-pencil illustrations establish appropriate moods as the
plot unfolds. Highly recommended.