Also available in Spanish as El globo grande y mojado A Parents Magazine Best Book of the Year. When her sister, Clemmie, refuses to play in the rain, Matilda wants to teach her the delights of a wet Saturday. They end up learning an unforgettable lesson. Kirkus Reviews declared, "This warm and accessible story is sure to be a favorite." PreS-Gr 2–These books explore the ups and downs of family life. In Peas, four chapters show Patrick and his parents in humorous conflict over vegetables, chores, baths, and bedtime. Patrick's imaginative naughtiness comes alive in Hayes's detailed colored pencil drawings, and the young bear's antics may remind readers of Calvin, Dennis the Menace, and other comic scamps. In Balloon, an older sister exuberantly bosses her younger sister in a series of rainy-day escapades, while Liniers's ink and watercolor illustrations convey each of the sisters' emotions, from enthusiasm to trepidation and even gleeful disgust at mucky worms. These easy readers feature familiar environments, a limited number of characters, and vocabulary that will gently challenge young readers with words like “beautiful” and sound effects like “burble burble.” While the expressive thought bubbles, dynamic panel layouts, and perfect pacing make both titles enjoyable first comics, they may be even more successful in beginning-reader collections serving younger children.–Sarah Stone, San Francisco Public Libraryα(c) Copyright 2013. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted. In its continuing effort to expand the boundaries of American comics, TOON Books brings Argentine cartoonist Liniers into its stable of accomplished creators. Liniers draws on the gentle humor of his experimental Spanish-language strip Macanudo in this story of an older sister initiating her younger sister into the joys of a rainy Saturday. Little Clemmie can only express herself by repeating older Matilda’s words, but it is clear that she’s dubious about charging into the pouring rain and running beneath thundering clouds. Finally lured out and approaching a rainbow, Clemmie loses her beloved red balloon, thanks to Matilda’s enthusiasm, but all is well by the end in a conclusion that seems plucked out of parental fantasy. Liniers tells a quiet story that taps into moments of childhood life in a way that few comics manage (or bother to try), augmented by a color palette that creates a deep sense of mood, warm line work, and characters visually reminiscent of Bill Keane’s classic Family Circus. An uncommonly family-friendly tale, great for parents to share with their kids. Grades K-2. --Jesse Karp [A] tender, accurate depiction of sister dynamics, including the lessons they invariably learn from each other, and Liniers’s cartoon drawings capture the siblings’ distinct, expressive personalities. —The Horn Book (starred review) Celebrated Argentine cartoonist Liniers offers a warm visual welcome to early readers in this graphic novel; lively watercolors in comic format provide plenty of memorable images and details to examine and savor. The gentle humor and mild suspense will quickly draw readers in, while brief sentences and appropriately challenging vocabulary, flawlessly interwoven with pictures that provide visual cues, leave room for readers to decipher, consider and comprehend. ... An excellent example of how well comics can work for early readers, this warm and accessible story is sure to be a favorite. —Kirkus Reviews (starred review) An up-close view of a tender sororal friendship. ... A reminder that moments of disappointment and dismay can be as intense, but also as fleeting, as a summer storm. —Publishers Weekly Liniers tells a quiet story that taps into moments of childhood life the way that few comics manage (or bother to try), augmented by a color palette that creates a deep sense of mood, warm line work, and characters... An uncommonly family-friendly tale, great for parents to share with their kids. —Booklist A simple, funny slice of life, The Big Wet Balloon succeeds by effectively depicting a sibling relationship and the joys of a child’s world. ... The full-color illustrations have have a sophisticated cartoon quality. —100 Scope Notes (SLJ blog) This adorable comic-like tale of two sisters who spend a rainy day playing outside wooed our kid reviewers because it didn’t look like a typical early reader. The level is discreetly displayed on the back. 'The story was much more substantial than other early readers, yet it used enough recognizable words for my 5-year-old to get through it on her own,' says a mom reviewer. —Parents Magazine Ricardo Liniers Siri lives in Buenos Aires with his wife and two daughters, Matilda and Clementina, who inspired The Big Wet Balloon. For more than ten years, he has published a hugely popular daily strip, Macanudo, in the Argentine newspaper La Nación. He also tours the world drawing on stage with musician Kevin Johansen. H