Author: Kate Palaces Narita is a fourth grade teacher and the author of 100 Bugs! A Counting Book (FSG spring 2018). When she’s not out and about driving, teaching or cheering on her two teenage sons, Kate lives, writes, and hikes on a small mountain in central Massachusetts.
Sometimes holding a book in your hands is a magical experience. You open the pages and all your thoughts and feelings are whisked away and you’re transported to another world full of different feelings and thoughts. The Remember Balloons written by Jessie Oliveros and illustrated by Dana Wulfekotte will take you into a tender, heartwarming yet also heartbreaking relationship that will change how you look at memories forever. But don’t take my word for it, here’s what my students had to say about how this book might change their actions in the future.
Every year my school participates in an incredible program called Bridges Together. The program brings active, healthy older adults into the classroom once a week for seven weeks to foster intergenerational relationships in the community. One of the amazing aspects of this program is that for homework, students are encouraged to interview their grandparents or an older adult in their lives. In preparation for this program, we read The Remember Balloons and students wrote their most powerful memory of their grandparents on a paper balloon. We hung these bunches of balloons in our hallway so that our Bridges’ guests could get to know us better. Since September is Intergeneration Month, it’s a great time to pick up a copy of The Remember Balloons. Enjoy!
