Balloon Man Tells Twisted and Tied Tall Tales

Nearly 80 kids ranging from toddlers to 10-year-olds came out Monday morning for the story time show at .

The show, part of the children's summer reading program at Ankeny's Kirkendall Public Library, featured balloon artist and storyteller Daniel Poe. 

Kids were skeptical at first as Poe showed them a simple round balloon during his introduction. He asked them if they thought it looked like an alien. The children quickly dismissed it as resembling anything of the sort. Before long, Poe captured their attention by twisting a few more balloons creating the extraterrestrial and a planet complete with orbiting rings. 

Throughout the show, Poe called up dozens of volunteers to wear balloon hats and objects to act out and help tell his folk tales and stories. 

Beeky Dearborn's grandson, Colton Safley, 6, was called up to the stage to play the character "Tom" in one of Poe's "Jack" tales, of popular Appalachian folklore. 

His grandmother said Colton and her other grandchildren, who are visiting from California, always enjoy going to the public library and attending its events. 

"We've been trying to find things to keep cool and they just love the library," Dearborn said. "I'm just thrilled he could go onstage."

Movie showings will round out children's library programming for the month of July. The movies are shown at the cafeteria starting at 1 p.m. on Wednesday, July 20 and 27.