Charlie's Balloons : A Story of Big Emotions
For highly sensitive kids who feel BIG feelings!
Hi! I’m Charlie. In my mind and in my body, all my emotions fight to take up as much space as they can. I like to picture my feelings as balloons. Sometimes they’re so light they float away. Other times, they’re so heavy it’s like they’re filled with water… For highly sensitive kids and the parents, teachers, and families who love them. Charlie's experience is relatable to all children who feel big emotions, from joy to fear and everything in between. Their story shows that not only is it fine to be highly sensitive, it is in fact a great strength.
Praise & Recognition
Titles...that support SEL in the classroom. ...Charlie uses the metaphor of balloons bouncing, floating, inflating, and bursting to describe how they feel. They share the strategies they use to deal with their emotions and assert that being sensitive is a strength that allows them to be curious, empathetic, creative, etc. In Class: Cut balloon shapes out of construction paper and label them with different emotions. Let students draw on the balloons and add shapes and colours to match the emotion on their balloon.
49th Shelf Blog/Top Grade"Charlie guides children and their caregivers through the world of highly sensitive feelings in a gentle manner….Élodie Duhameau’s pictures complement the text well by illustrating the emotions discussed in the book with bright and colourful images….children can add to the story with their own experiences and then create a list of calming activities of their own."
CM ReviewsSpring 2024 Top Grade Pick for Picture Books
Details
Publication Date: February 13, 2024
Reading Age: 6 - 8
Genre: Picture Book, Children's Fiction
Product Format: Hardback
Pages: 32
ISBN: 978-1-77260-369-9
Weight: 200
About the Author
Sarah Degonse
Sarah Degonse was born in France and lives in Montreal. She loves notebooks of all kinds, newly sharpened pencils, and the innocence of youth and books. She splits her time between working in children’s publishing and producing collaborations for literature and parenting blogs.
About the Illustrator
Élodie Duhameau
Élodie Duhameau?? was born in France and lives in Montreal. She studied graphic arts in Paris and worked as a graphic designer and art director. After moving to Montreal she was introduced to children’s publishing and discovered her talents as both an illustrator and an author.
About the Translator
Arielle Aaronson
Arielle Aaronson is a French-to-English translator of books, films, TV, and more. Her translations have been shortlisted for the Governor General’s Literary Award and longlisted for the Canada Reads competition. Her translation of “What Burns” won the 2024 regional Commonwealth Short Story prize, and her translation of Alone won the 2024 Richard Allen Chase Memorial Award. She has received grants from both the Canada Council for the Arts and the Centre national du livre (CNL) to advance her translation projects.
Arielle lives in Montreal, Quebec, with her husband, their three children, and an ever-growing pile of books. She currently teaches high school English and has a soft spot for snappy dialogue and big emotions.
