The Balloon Boy by Abbie Farwell Brown

Name: The Balloon Boy
Author: Abbie Farwell Brown

Carlo, a kind balloon seller from a country where people believe in fairies, stands every day at the Avenue corner with red and blue balloons, hoping to earn enough to bring his little sister Nita to live with him. After a rainy morning, he returns to his usual place in the afternoon, unaware that schoolboys are about to rush past. The boys surround him, demand balloons without paying, and cut the string holding his whole bunch. Forty balloons fly away while the boys flee from an approaching policeman. With no balloons to sell and no money to replace them, Carlo wanders sadly into the Park. He has sent his savings to Nita, who has nearly enough to join him, but now he fears he cannot pay for food, lodging, or a new stock of balloons. Hungry and exhausted, he falls asleep in a grape-vine arbor. He wakes at night to find a plump Little Man in a brown gown beside him. Speaking Carlo’s own language, the Little Man says he is the fairy of Carlo’s father’s house and has followed Carlo from his old country. Because Carlo still believes in such beings, he can see him. The Little Man chooses a bunch of grapes that has stopped ripening, ties it to Carlo’s empty balloon stick, and magically puts Carlo back to sleep. In the morning, Carlo finds that the grapes have grown into large green, purple, and red balloons. A baby in a pink dress buys the first green balloon with a silver dime, and other children quickly buy all the unusual green balloons as well as the ordinary red and blue ones. Carlo goes home with a pocketful of money and no tears. He continues selling balloons successfully, becomes prosperous, and brings Nita across the sea to live with him. Carlo remains cheerful, while the Little Man stays near the grape-vine arbor and may someday be seen by children wise enough to believe in him.

By Abbie Farwell Brown · First published 1904 · Genre: Children's Fantasy, Fairy Tale, Children's Literature · 2,767 words

First lines

Carlo was the brown-skinned boy who stood on the corner of the Avenue every morning with a great bunch of red and blue balloons tied to a stick. Carlo used to wait smiling for the children to come up with their nurses and pick out the balloons with which they loved to play. The balloons bobbed and danced above Carlo's head as if they wanted to fly away. Indeed, one of them once succeeded in escaping, just after it had been bought by little Johnny Parker. Johnny had forgotten to hold it tight, and _Pouf! _ Off it sailed over the trees. No one ever knew what became of that little red balloon, which soared up far beyond the reach of Johnny's wailing. But the other little balloons were always trying to follow after, and sometimes they pulled so hard at the strings that they seemed almost ready to lift Carlo off his feet and bear him with them over the tree-tops.

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The Balloon Boy is listed on Textopian as a short story by Abbie Farwell Brown, dated 1904 CE.

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Work type: Short story
Author: Abbie Farwell Brown
Date: 1904 CE
Language: English
Genres: Children's Fantasy, Fairy Tale, Children's Literature, Magical Realism, Social Realism
Length: 2,767 words
Structure: 1 section, 40 paragraphs
Reading fit: Easy (6th Grade)

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Similar titles

Genres

Children's Fantasy — A child-oriented tale in which a household fairy follows Carlo from his homeland and magically transforms grapes into balloons.
Fairy Tale — The narrative uses fairy-tale conventions: belief in Little People, a benevolent supernatural helper, magical intervention, and a reassuring happy ending.
Children's Literature — Its simple, direct narration, emphasis on children, moral clarity, and wonder are designed for young readers.
Magical Realism — A realistic urban setting involving a balloon seller, schoolboys, police, and park visitors is interrupted by accepted magical events involving a fairy and enchanted grapes.