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Krosoczka, the creator of the Lunch Lady graphic novel series, knows the advice in this book works because it helped his own daughter when she lost her balloon.
The children in this story accidentally drop their sandwiches, break toys, scrape their legs and have to get used to a new babysitter. The author acknowledges their feelings--“It’s the worst to have wet shoes…”, “It’s frustrating when your ice cream melts…”, and other instances involving disappointing situations--but with the turn of the page he gives the children something positive to think about. Wet shoes are not fun but “it’s the best to go barefoot”. Scrapes mean cool bandages, and broken toys mean spending time with Grandpa when he fixes them.
The black-and-white backgrounds on every second page allow the focus to remain on the child who is feeling sad or scared. When the children are shown thinking positively about the situation, the backgrounds are in color.
Parents were quick to sign this book out from the library after storytime because of its clever use of optimism.
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It's Tough to Lose Your Balloon