Product Description

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).

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Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #302339 in Books
• Published on: 1994-04-29
• Original language: English
• Binding: Hardcover
• 32 pages

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.

From School Library Journal
Kindergarten-Grade 4-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. The author's understated, down-home text combines with Buehner's rich, rounded paintings to create a most satisfying whole. Buehner is a master character painter who gives three-dimensional life to the girl, Harvey, and all the wonderful balloons. This title should sail onto every library shelf. May Nolen grow a bumper crop of books.
Kathleen Whalin, Greenwich Country Day School, CT
Copyright 1994 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Booklist
Ages 5-8. In this original tall tale, Harvey Potter runs "a genuine, U.S. Government Inspected Balloon Farm." The storyteller is a friendly little neighbor girl with pigtails, whom we see as a grown-up balloon farmer on the book's last page. She's pictured staying up late to learn the secret of Harvey's magic planting process. Nolen's "true truth" style contrasts delightfully with the pictures of Harvey's crop, with balloons in all shapes and colors. The dry narrative humor may not reach all children, but the illustrations won't be forgotten. Hidden somewhere in each one, by the way, is a rabbit, a tyrannosaur, a cat, a chicken, a cow, and a pig. Mary Harris Veeder

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Customer Reviews

I Remember Reading This
I really loved this book when it was read to me in early elementary school. I don't remember how the story goes very well but when I think of Balloon Farm, a happy feeling comes over me. This is a great book and everyone, no matter what age, should read it.

not an original idea
I haven't read this book, but it appears to be an improvement on an older one by M. O. Slicer entitled Balloon Farm. That one also involves a government agent in the story, by the way. The Slicer book is dated, with flat & abstract illustrations. Here's the summary of it: "In Crazy County, Texas, where anything will grow, a carnival owner swaps his show for a farm and raises a crop of balloons, kite strings, baskets, and philosophy."

A Beautiful Book for everyone!
this is a FABULOUS BOOK - my daughter read this over & over when she was younger and has kept it until now at the age of 12. It contains gorgeous artwork that entralls everyone who reads it.