Harvey Potter's Balloon Farm

Nolen, Jerdine

ISBN 10: 0688078885 ISBN 13: 9780688078881

Publisher: HarperCollins, 1994

Synopsis

Harvey Potter was a very strange fellow indeed. He was a farmer, but he didn't farm like my daddy did. He farmed a genuine, U.S. Government Inspected Balloon Farm.

So begins this enchanting original tall tale. Set in the rural south and populated with a truly unforgettable cast of characters--including, if you look very carefully, a rabbit, a Tyrannosaurus rex, a cat, a chicken, a cow, and a pig hidden in each remarkable illustration--this is a book that is filled with wonderful impossibilities and magical imagination. Told in the great tradition of summer nights and front porch yarns, Harvey Potter's Balloon Farm will lift your spirit right off the ground, just as it does Harvey Potter.

Harvey Potter was a very strange fellow indeed. He was a farmer but not like any farmer you've ever met. He didn't grow corn, okra, or tomatoes. Harvey Potter grew balloons. No one knew exactly how he did it, but with the help of the light of a full moon, one friendly child catches a peek of just how Harvey Potter does it. And keeps some magic for herself.

"This is the best sort of fantasy imaginative, inventive, and believable. Harvey Potter is a wonder he's the owner of a genuine U.S. Government Inspected Balloon farm. And Nolen's tale about this man, narrated by the African-American girl who learns balloon-farming magic from him, is equally wondrous.... This title should sail onto every library shelf. May Nolen grow a bumper crop of books." School Library Journal.

"Downright glorious."Publishers Weekly(starred review).

About this title

About the Author

Jerdine Nolen is the author of a diverse range of picture books, from the thoughtful In My Momma's Kitchen to the wildly imaginative Harvey Potter's Balloon Farm, which was made into a TV movie. Jerdine Nolen lives with her children in Ellicott City, Maryland.

From Publishers Weekly

Everything's coming up balloons in this original tale about Harvey Potter, a "very strange fellow," and his unusual crop. As recounted by a local observer, Potter seems to have a latex thumb and has raised balloons in all sizes and shapes, in colors like "Pleasin' Purple," "Orange-Ray Sun" and "Jelly-Bean Black." Such spectacle naturally piques the curiosity of townsfolk and prompts the female narrator to perform a secret investigation of Harvey's planting methods. Perched in a tree one night, she witnesses a sort of dancing ritual that Harvey performs with a magic "conjure stick," and her life is changed forever. Debut author Nolen's full-bodied text is peppered with shades of a Southern dialect and has the cozy feel of a back porch storytelling session. Her fiercely independent characters add even more pizzazz. Buehner's ( The Adventures of Taxi Dog ) rich acrylics are chock-full of zippy colors. His expert use of light and shadow makes a day in the fields look downright glorious. And the sea of bright balloons growing straight and proud is something to behold. Ages 4-up.
Copyright 1994 Reed Business Information, Inc.

About this edition

• Publisher: HarperCollins
• Publication date: 1994
• ISBN 10: 0688078885
• ISBN 13: 9780688078881
• Binding: Library Binding
• Number of pages: 32
• Illustrator: Buehner Mark