Originally published in France as Le ballon de Zébulon, this picture-book from author Alice Brière-Haquet and illustrator Olivier Philipponneau follows the story of it eponymous hero Zebedee, whose beloved balloon - nicknamed "Ball" - serves as something of a security blanket. When Ball goes missing one night, Zebedee sets out to find him, aided by a kindly old owl he meets on his journey. Despite their persistence however, Ball remains lost, although Zebedee does make ten new friends...

Much like Peter and the Moon, another picture-book written by Brière-Haquet, and published by Editions Auzou, Zebedee's Balloon is a title that had more visual than textual appeal. I thought the wood-engraving artwork of Olivier Philipponneau was gorgeous - the owl was a particular favorite! - but the rhyming text left a great deal to be desired. It was awkwardly worded, some of the rhymes felt forced - 'imagine' and 'comfort him,' for instance - and the rhythm was just off. As mentioned in my review of Peter and the Moon, I am an enthusiastic supporter of more translation of children's literature from the non-English speaking world, and had received the news that Editions Auzou was intending to bring out some of their children's catalogue here in the states with excitement, but sadly, so far I have been disappointed. The artwork has been gorgeous, but the texts just haven't read very well, perhaps owing to a poor translation?

In any case, this is a title I would recommend primarily for its artwork. Fans of wood engraving illustrations will find much to please them here. As for those looking for good stories - perhaps the next Editions Auzou title will be better translated. ( )