The Golden Balloon – “- But I’m a balloon just like you” , it said hesitantly to the round balloons that were looking from up high and were laughing. It was different from the rest, with a rare, almost gold colour. It had every right to be proud of its appearance but it had yet to realize how beautiful and special it was. A story about being different, being proud of who you are, and ignoring others who don’t appreciate you. The book includes some great activities to make from recycled items, and literacy exercises.
Text and Images from The Golden Balloon
here were once in a warehouse ten beautiful shiny, full of colour balloons, all of the same round shape! They were inflated and tied up with cords fastened to a base. They were so beautiful! They even admired themselves in the mirror of the warehouse!
– How pretty we are! Look at all these colours!!
– I heard we are going to be decorating the party of a boy.
– We’ll surely dazzle the children that will be there!
One of the balloons looked down and saw something that attracted everyone’s attention.
– Hey, who are you? shouted the balloon to what it could see but could not make out.
– I’m a balloon too! it said from where it was, lying on the floor.
It was really different from the rest of them; long in shape and very thin, with a colour unlike the others, that of almost gold. It was inflated and abandoned on the floor.
– Ha, ha! Listen guys, it’s a balloon! answered one of the tied balloons and the rest of them burst into laughter.
– And what kind of balloon are you, all long and thin like this? How will the kids hold you and play with you?
– But I…
– Surely, the clown that inflated us moments ago made a mistake and that’s why he abandoned you. You must be the only one in the world with such a shape. Tough luck kid…
The balloon became very sad. It coyly looked one more time at the balloons hanging directly above it and felt discontent. Why should it have been created so different from the others? It started thinking that it was really ugly as well. It is unfair it thought, being a balloon that didn’t have a nice colour and could not be used in anything… There must have been a mistake at the manufacturing plant.
– And what kind of colour is this? It’s the first time that we have seen such a colour, went on mocking the round
balloons.
<end of sample>
Read more books with a lesson about Behaviour below.
Swimming in the Zambezi - Ntwala takes the girls from the village of Lusese every Sunday to swim in the Zambezi river. This Sunday one of the girls becomes jealous of the swimming competition winner. Find out how Ntwala helps resolve the problem. 
od wun owt / Odd One Out – Bilingual English and Pinglish - This book published by Free Kids Books has been translated into Pinglish by The Pinglish Project.
Pinglish allows phonetic translations for all sounds in the English language. See more in our Blog post about the Pinglish Project
How Turtle Cracked His Shell - A short fable about how Turtle's shell came to look like it is cracked for kindergarten and early grades including activity pages.
BookBot-Kids App! - Free Kids Books—your go-to for free children’s stories, resources, and textbooks in PDF format, has hosted many great books over the year from our valued partner Bookbot-Kids. If your child is 5–9 and learning to read, try Bookbot. Bookbot unlocks a huge library of decodable books and listens as your child reads aloud, gently correcting ...
More about The Pinglish Project - thepinglishproject.com What is pinglish? pinglish is English. Only the spelling is different. It is logical, quick and easy to learn. In pinglish each letter has only one sound and no silent ones. Take a look at our alphabet sounds videos: Alphabet sounds slow: Alphabet sounds fast: See more at The Pinglish Project YouTube channel And: ...
Aella’s Trip – fun early reader - Aella’s Trip is a short and simple story written for Pre-K and Kindergarten learners. It uses easy vocabulary, repetitive sentence patterns, and sight words to help young children practice reading with confidence. The story follows Aella as she goes on a fun trip to a town. She rides a bus, drinks coffee, listens to music, ...
What Makes a Virtual Classroom Effective for Kids in Elementary and Middle School - For students in elementary and middle school, virtual classrooms have transformed the educational landscape. With the rise of technology, learning no longer has to be confined to traditional classrooms. Effectiveness in virtual learning environments hinges on various factors that engage students, encourage communication, and promote a positive educational experience. Keep reading to know what makes ...
Nature-Based Activities to Keep the Kids Busy - If you’ve ever tried to entertain a child indoors for more than twenty minutes, you’ll know that things unravel fast. Someone ends up sticky, someone cries over a lost crayon, and someone (probably you) starts googling how long it would take to drive to the nearest forest. But here’s the thing: nature is the original ...
Who Threw the Shoe? - Crocodile is hit on the head by a shoe while dozing. He goes on a quest to find the owner of the shoe, but will people be honest with him, and will he be honest with others? A great springboard to discuss topics about facing your fears and speaking up to those you perceive a ...
How Online Education is Changing the Way We Learn - The landscape of education has evolved significantly, driven by advancements in technology and the growing demand for flexible learning options. Online education has emerged as a robust alternative to traditional learning methods, appealing to a diverse array of students, from busy professionals to those seeking new skills or degrees. The shift to online platforms is ...Read more books about Values below.
Swimming in the Zambezi - Ntwala takes the girls from the village of Lusese every Sunday to swim in the Zambezi river. This Sunday one of the girls becomes jealous of the swimming competition winner. Find out how Ntwala helps resolve the problem. od wun owt / Odd One Out – Bilingual English and Pinglish - This book published by Free Kids Books has been translated into Pinglish by The Pinglish Project.
Pinglish allows phonetic translations for all sounds in the English language. See more in our Blog post about the Pinglish Project How Turtle Cracked His Shell - A short fable about how Turtle's shell came to look like it is cracked for kindergarten and early grades including activity pages. BookBot-Kids App! - Free Kids Books—your go-to for free children’s stories, resources, and textbooks in PDF format, has hosted many great books over the year from our valued partner Bookbot-Kids. If your child is 5–9 and learning to read, try Bookbot. Bookbot unlocks a huge library of decodable books and listens as your child reads aloud, gently correcting ... More about The Pinglish Project - thepinglishproject.com What is pinglish? pinglish is English. Only the spelling is different. It is logical, quick and easy to learn. In pinglish each letter has only one sound and no silent ones. Take a look at our alphabet sounds videos: Alphabet sounds slow: Alphabet sounds fast: See more at The Pinglish Project YouTube channel And: ... Aella’s Trip – fun early reader - Aella’s Trip is a short and simple story written for Pre-K and Kindergarten learners. It uses easy vocabulary, repetitive sentence patterns, and sight words to help young children practice reading with confidence. The story follows Aella as she goes on a fun trip to a town. She rides a bus, drinks coffee, listens to music, ... What Makes a Virtual Classroom Effective for Kids in Elementary and Middle School - For students in elementary and middle school, virtual classrooms have transformed the educational landscape. With the rise of technology, learning no longer has to be confined to traditional classrooms. Effectiveness in virtual learning environments hinges on various factors that engage students, encourage communication, and promote a positive educational experience. Keep reading to know what makes ... Nature-Based Activities to Keep the Kids Busy - If you’ve ever tried to entertain a child indoors for more than twenty minutes, you’ll know that things unravel fast. Someone ends up sticky, someone cries over a lost crayon, and someone (probably you) starts googling how long it would take to drive to the nearest forest. But here’s the thing: nature is the original ... Who Threw the Shoe? - Crocodile is hit on the head by a shoe while dozing. He goes on a quest to find the owner of the shoe, but will people be honest with him, and will he be honest with others? A great springboard to discuss topics about facing your fears and speaking up to those you perceive a ... How Online Education is Changing the Way We Learn - The landscape of education has evolved significantly, driven by advancements in technology and the growing demand for flexible learning options. Online education has emerged as a robust alternative to traditional learning methods, appealing to a diverse array of students, from busy professionals to those seeking new skills or degrees. The shift to online platforms is ...Sponsored Links:
Note – if you sign up through these links, it doesn’t cost you any extra, but FKB receives a small donation, which helps us move towards our aim of
FREE Hardcopies!
All our posts are checked by Grammarly, the FREE online grammar checker (We still receive a donation even if you only sign up for the free account :-):
This site is hosted by Bluehost:
Leave a comment (it won’t be public) if you want help getting your own website cost-effectively.
good I guess…
nice
… [Trackback]
[…] Read More here: freekidsbooks.org/the-golden-baloon/ […]
MEJO writes:
good
Danielle writes:
I enjoyed this, a very sweet story, teaches kids about others feelings, love the mixed media artwork and activities at the end.