You love balloons. You love writing on chalkboards. Rejoice! You can finally combine your duel joys because today, we’re testing Chalkboard Balloons by NPW. Do they actually work? Well…yes. But there is one fatal flaw.
The Chalkboard Balloon kit retails for $10 and includes 1 white chalk pen, 1 small roll of white streamer (.75″ x 200″), and 20 black latex balloons, sticks, and cups. The pen is advertised as an “easy to wipe off water based chalk pen” (note the slight hint of foreshadowing here).
Does the kit do what it purports? Yes, definitely. After priming the pen on some paper, it wrote very smoothly on the balloon. You do have to be careful – the ink smudges when first applied. It takes about 30 seconds to dry completely.
When it comes time to wipe the wording off your balloon, you need a damp paper towel to do so. The damp paper towel also works a treat if you accidentally get some of the ink on your skin. So the ink wipes off the balloon quickly and cleanly (yup, more foreshadowing). Question: can you erase and reuse a previously-written-on balloon?
Once you wipe off the ink and dry the balloon, you can definitely write something new, just like a real chalkboard. Above is the “Aw Yeah” balloon with a new message. It’s hard to see in the photo, but there is just the slightest trace of the “Aw Yeah” underneath the “Yes!”
Next question: are the black balloons in the kit special? Or will the chalkboard pen work on a plain old regular balloon? Yup. My testing revealed no difference between a black balloon from the kit and this purple one from our art supply closet.
At this point, I was feeling pretty good. The kit works, the balloons looks good, it’s fun to write on a balloon and then change the message. I started imagining a classroom where kids are using these balloons for a spelling bee or something. And! The kit comes with balloon cups, balloon sticks, and streamers to round out the party.
The problem, however, is what happens AFTER the party.
You see, when these balloons deflate, they follow the Law of the Conservation of Matter. Namely, nothing goes away – it just changes. Thus, the shrinking balloon sloughs off the ink as a fine white powder. Quite a lot of powder actually.
It gets worse. While the powdered ink does vacuum up tidily, if you dab the powder with water or baby wipes, it leaves a stain that sets into your carpet with a vengeance. IT ALSO DOES THIS TO YOUR CLOTHES. I pressed a little too hard with the pen while writing on a balloon and it popped. The powder hit my pants and sunk in. I didn’t even have time to brush it off or attempt a rescue mission with a damp cloth (which wouldn’t have done anything anyway). I treated my pants with stain remover. I laundered them. Nope. That stain is here to stay.
NO WHERE on the packaging or pen does it say that the ink could stain your carpets and clothes. The packing does warns you (in 4 different languages) that balloons are choking hazards for kids under 8. But nothing about the ink permanently STAINING YOUR PROPERTY! Perhaps this is a bit naive, but if the packaging says “easy to wipe off water based chalk pen” and doesn’t provide a warning, you just assume that this won’t seize your carpets and clothes and never let go. YOU OWE ME A PAIR OF CARGO PANTS CHALKBOARD BALLOONS BY NPW!
So I’m afraid I can’t recommend this kit. Yes, the white ink on the black balloons looks cool, but you can achieve the same effect using a silver metallic Sharpie marker. See?
If, however, you want to flirt with disaster and use this kit at your next shindig, make sure to do 3 things: 1) Wear grubby sweatpants while writing messages on the balloons; 2) Deflate the balloons over a garbage can to avoid marring your carpets; 3) Tell all your party goers to keep 6 feet from the balloons at all times. Because if they pop? There will be stains.
I admit, some of my story times can get a little…elaborate. We’ve had drive-through 
When I first started doing preschool story times (11 years ago!) I knew I wanted to concentrate on a single picture book and then do an art project that creatively and concretely connected the child with the story. Also, our preschool story times are an hour long, so we need to do projects/activities that take a little more time. Hence, the projects you find on our Tuesday posts (and on 
To make the jar, trace the mouth of a plastic cup on a piece of poster board. Cut the circle out. Place your bug inside the cup, then tape the poster board circle to the mouth of the cup. To make a carrying handle, simply circle and tape a pipe cleaner to the top of the bug jar.
Books of Wonder is PACKED with a huge selection of books. The books are so enticingly displayed, you just want to grab one and read it right away (and plenty of readers were camped out on the floor and in little chairs, doing just that). They have quantities of signed copies too.
Katie left with not one but two signed copies of The Girl Who Drank the Moon (the 2017 Newbery winner). Once I torn myself away from the stacks, I turned my eyes to the quirky and inviting decor.
Layered on endcaps, tables, walls, and bookshelves are posters, original artwork, and characters from illustrated books. It almost feels like you’re inside some sort of awesome pop-up book. Do you recognize the dragon in the image that started this post?
Yup! It’s by author and illustrator Steve Light, wielder of the fountain pen extraordinaire (we made these fantastical 
A street scene on the floor of the gallery:
The back wall of the store is dedicated to Books of Wonder’s extensive antiquarian and rare books section.
Here you can find an amazing array of your favorites. If you’re wondering how much a first edition of Where the Wild Things Are (inscribed, with an original sketch) is going for these days, it’s $22,500.
Not far from the rare books, I was delighted to find a real live author signing books! In fact, I shouted across three shelves of retail space to tell Katie that 
Moving towards the front of the store, I soon discovered “Blind Date With A Book.”
Essentially, it’s a book wrapped in brown paper with a suggested age range, genre, and enticing teaser. YES!
I almost bought this one…
One more fantastic detail. At the front of the store are thank you illustrations from visiting artists. It reminded me of the fabulous conference room walls at the Mazza Museum (which you can see at the end of 
Here’s my personal favorite:
Katie and I spent a happy hour shopping Books of Wonder before we had to dash to catch our train. My only regret is that I spotted this cool canvas logo bag as I was walking out the door. Too late to go back and snag it, darn it!
But not to worry. I’ll definitely return. In fact, in September a second location will be opening on 217 West 84th Street. If you’re in town, definitely make Books of Wonder a destination. Just be prepared to leave with LOTS of books. This store is bursting with love for children’s books. How can you resist taking some of the love home with you?