Harvey Potter's Balloon Farm

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).

Binding Type: Hardcover
Publisher: HarperCollins
Published: 04/29/1994
ISBN: 9780688078874
Pages: 32
Weight: 0.85lbs
Size: 11.31h x 8.83w x 0.41d
Award: Nevada Young Readers' Award - Winner
Award: Kentucky Bluegrass Award - Winner
Award: Black-Eyed Susan Award - Winner
Award: Grand Canyon Reader Award - Winner
Award: Washington Children's Choice Picture Book Award - Winner

Review Citations: School Library Journal 05/01/1994 pg. 102
Booklist 04/15/1994 pg. 1541
Publishers Weekly 04/11/1994 pg. 65
Kirkus Review - Children 03/15/1994 pg. 401
ALA Notable Children's Books 04/01/1995 pg. 1409
Hornbook Guide to Children 01/01/1994 pg. 285 - Superior,Well Above Average

Accelerated Reader Quiz #/Name: 11366 / Harvey Potter's Balloon Farm
Reading Level: 3.8 / Interest Level: Lower Grade / Point Value: 0.5