The Horn Book Guide

PICTURE BOOKS

Richards, Dan

Can One Balloon Make an Elephant Fly?

40 pp. | Simon | August, 2016 | Trade ISBN 978-1-4424-5215-2 $17.99 | Ebook ISBN 978-1-4424-5217-6

(2) K-3 Illustrated by Jeff Newman. At the zoo with his mother, Evan asks how many balloons it would take to make animals fly. Mom, thinking he's referring to his figurines, is unaware that Evan is handing out balloons to the real animals, who go soaring. Paired with an all-dialogue text, the visual narrative plays out in far-away perspectives as well as close-ups of distracted mother and curious, smiling son.

Reviewer: Elisa Gall | Horn Book Magazine Issue: September, 2016