In this ninth entry in Nikolai Nosov's picture-book series about Dunno - Незнайка, meaning "don't know," in the original Russian - the Mites who ascended in Doono's balloon in Up in the Air in a Balloon (Doono, so named because he does know things, is Dunno's opposite), continue on their aerial journey, arguing amongst themselves. From Dunno's belief that the dark spot following their balloon is Dot the dog (it is Doono who informs the companions that it is the balloon's shadow), to his refusal to accept that the balloon is floating through the clouds (since, as everyone knows, they are made of meringue, not fog), there are plenty of opportunities for dispute. P'raps and Prob'ly, in the meantime, cause chaos as they attempt to "help" with the navigation...

Like its immediate predecessors, Up in the Clouds is not a stand-alone story - these English language picture-books are apparently individual chapters from the original, longer work - and should be read in proper order, to get the full effect. The narrative picks up exactly where the previous book left off, and cuts off in mid-flight, no doubt to be continued in the subsequent title, ominously named An Accident. I continue to feel, as I have done with the foregoing eight entries in the Dunno series, that I am missing some of the appeal of these books, perhaps through issues of translation. My feeling that they are a little too preachy persists, although so too does my appreciation for the stylized, folksy artwork. Recommended primarily to those readers who, like me, are interested in the development of children's literature around the world. ( )

The saga of Dunno - Незнайка, meaning "don't know," in the original Russian - continues in this eighth entry in his picture-book series, as Doono (Dunno's opposite, so named because he does know) and his roommates board their homemade air-balloon, and prepare to set off on an unprecedented journey. As each Mite struggles up the stairs to the balloon basket, Treacly-Sweeter assists them, hanging back himself, until finally he too is (reluctantly) aboard, and the companions sail off. The Mites they leave behind in Flower Town are in a celebratory mood - despite their earlier skepticism about the balloon's ability to fly - and embrace Posey's impromptu poem for the occasion...

Like the two preceding titles, How Doono Made a Balloon and Preparations for the Ascent (and unlike some of the earlier installments), this story does not stand alone, but must be read in sequence, to get the full effect. I understand that these picture-books, printed during the Soviet period by Moscow publisher Raduga, are actually just individual chapters from the original, longer work about Незнайка. Given that this is so, one can't fault them for not standing alone, although I continue to feel, reading through the series, that I'm missing most of the appeal. A little too preachy for my taste, and somewhat stiff (probably the result of translation), these books aren't a personal favorite.

Still, they're quite interesting, as examples of 1950s Russian children's literature, and I recommend them to readers, like myself, with an interest in children's books from around the globe. If nothing else, the artwork is very cute, in a folksy, stylized way. ( )

The narrative focus of this sixth entry in the "Dunno" series - a character, Незнайка in the original Russian, who is so-named because he knows nothing - shifts a bit, leaving behind the story of its insouciant anti-hero's abortive attempts to master various disciplines, from music to poetry, and picking up the tale of Doono (Dunno's opposite, so named because he knows everything), and the rubber balloon he designs. Aided by his Mite housemates, Doono perseveres, despite the ridicule of some of the other residents of Flower Town, who don't believe that the balloon will ever fly, and by the end of the book, all stands ready for the great ascent...

Like the other entries in this series, which I picked up a few months ago at a rummage sale, How Doono Made a Balloon presents one chapter from the original Russian work, which seems to have been more of a children's novel. It is the first one of these picture-book adaptations that doesn't stand on its own, as a story, and cuts off the night before the ascent of Doono's balloon (presumably dealt with in the subsequent title, Preparations for the Ascent). It is also the first to touch upon the gender dynamics of Nosov's miniature Mite society, with its sharp divisions between girl-Mites and boy-Mites, who (as is explained in the first entry in the series, The Mites of Flower Town), have very little to do with one another. Here we see Dunno getting into a fight with his friend, Gunky, whom he accuses of being a girl, because he is playing jump-rope with two girl-Mites. I'll be curious to see if girl-Mites, who have been mostly absent from the story, appear again in the series, or if Nosov will concern himself solely with the boys.

Owing to their overt didacticism, and to a somewhat stilted text (perhaps a result of translation?), I can't say I have found Dunno's Adventures very appealing thus far, although I am interested in them, from a more academic standpoint, as examples of translated children's literature. The gender dynamic, now that I consider it - the relative absence of any female characters, and the insipidity of those female characters who do (very briefly) appear - is probably also a factor in my lack of appreciation. Still, the artwork by Boris Kalaushin is quite cute, in a stylized, vintage way, and I am glad for the opportunity to become acquainted with such an influential characters, in the history of Russian children's literature. ( )