From Publishers Weekly
Harvey Potter has a latex thumb: he grows balloons. The girl who assists him is the only one to learn his secret, and it changes her life. "[Buehner's] expert use of light and shadow makes a day in the fields look downright glorious," said PW in a starred review. Ages 4-up.-- expert use of light and shadow makes a day in the fields look downright glorious," said PW in a starred review. Ages 4-up. Copyright 1998 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, CTCopyright 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

From Kirkus Reviews
Harvey Potter owns a genuine US Government Inspected balloon farm where he grows balloons to order: clowns, animals, monsters for Halloween, and even--when the young narrator who has been delightedly watching the crops gets old enough to strike out on her own--a huge floater to carry her off. What's his secret? Since he farms at night, no one knows. Nolen's writing has an oral lilt to it; Buehner (Adventures of Taxi Dog, etc.) depicts Potter's unique crop in jellybean colors, bobbing atop cornstalks in businesslike rows. A wonderfully appealing premise, skillfully developed. (Picture book. 6-8) -- Copyright ©1994, Kirkus Associates, LP. All rights reserved.


"Downright Glorious."


"The best sort of fantasy--imaginative, inventive, and believable."

Book Description
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).

Card catalog description
A child ventures out in the middle of the night to see how Harvey Potter grows his wonderful balloons.

ANNOTATION

A child ventures out in the middle of the night to see how Harvey Potter grows his wonderful balloons.

FROM THE PUBLISHER

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.

FROM THE CRITICS

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. (Apr.)

School Library Journal