Can One Balloon Make an Elephant Fly?

At the zoo with his mother, Evan asks how many of their small helium balloons it would take to make certain animals fly (first the elephant, then the hippopotamus, and so on). Thinking he's referring to the animal figurines he is carrying, Mom (who starts the book distracted by her smartphone) encourages the discussion while tying her balloons to the toys, unaware that Evan is handing out his own balloons to the real animals. When Mom releases her balloons and the toys rise to the sky, the duo embraces; with Mom's back turned, Evan sees the zoo's live creatures soaring out of their habitats and over the city, mesmerizing onlookers. The text, presented completely in dialogue, rests inside thickly outlined speech balloons, with Evan and his mother's brief questions and remarks revealing the intimacy between them. Featuring charcoal and crayon grays on a white background, along with the protagonists' brown skin and pops of primary colors, the visual narrative plays out in double-page spreads that include far-away perspectives of the setting as well as close-ups of mother and son; facial expressions reveal Mom's initial distraction (she quickly checks back in, however, and puts down her phone) and Evan's curiosity, as he is full of smiles and knowing glances directed at the zoo's inhabitants. elisa gall

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.