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Library | Call Number | Status |
|---|---|---|
Searching... Woodburn Public Library | E RICHARDS | Searching... Unknown |
Searching... Jefferson Public Library | P RICHARDS, D. | Searching... Unknown |
Searching... Salem Main Library | JP Richards | Searching... Unknown |
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Summary
Summary
Dan Richards teams up with celebrated artist, Jeff Newman, to share a funny and vibrant picture book about how powerful a child's imagination can be...with a little encouragement.
Evan asks a simple question, "Can one balloon make an elephant fly?"
At first, his mother is too busy to answer. But when she takes the time to play the game with her son...magic happens.
Author Notes
Dan Richards makes his home in the far, wet reaches of the Pacific Northwest (also known as Bothell, Washington) with his wife and two beautiful redheaded children. He has been known to confer with visiting pachyderms, helping calculate the lifting capacity of helium and tensile strength of latex. Can One Balloon Make an Elephant Fly? is Dan's first book with Simon & Schuster.
Jeff Newman grew up in Ashland, Massachusetts, and attended The Art Institute of Boston. His picture books include Hippo! No , Rhino ; The Boys ; Hand Book ; The Greedy Worm ; and Found . He currently lives in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.
Reviews (4)
School Library Journal Review
PreS-Gr 2-Balloons and a trip to the zoo spark a young boy's imagination and remind his mother to listen and pay attention to nurturing that spark. Evan and his mom are in a wonderful place, full of learning and fun. Mom is paying more attention to her smartphone than to her son. When she looks, listens, and sees that Evan needs her attention, she realizes that she must follow him on his journey of discovery about the world around him. Pretty soon, elephants and more are flying all around. This book is a delight on so many levels. All children have asked incessant questions, to the irritation and chagrin of the adults around them. Readers and listeners will relate. This selection also depicts the parent-child dynamic as a black mother and child engage in a universal experience. The illustrations are beautiful and seem almost to spring from the page. The text is framed in comic strip style balloons, and it flows well. There are several pages without words, making this title a good tool for teaching sequencing and making predictions. This is an easy and fun read-aloud that serves to teach many lessons about paying attention and letting our imagination take us where it will. VERDICT A timeless book with a contemporary feel that will satisfy readers and listeners. A solid purchase for most libraries.-Shannan Hicks, J.S. Clark Elementary School, LA © Copyright 2016. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Publisher's Weekly Review
Evan and his mother are at the zoo, and they have bunches of colorful balloons. When Evan asks the question of the title and some follow-ups, she's busy typing on her smartphone. Once she realizes that he is talking about a small toy, not the actual elephant in front of them, her expression softens. "One balloon is definitely enough to make an elephant fly," she assures him. They continue through the zoo, debating how many balloons might make various toy animals fly; meanwhile, Evan is busy giving balloons to the real animals. Newman's (Phoebe and Digger) heavy charcoal shading and primary color palette recall '60s-era picture books, and the zoo has a retro feel, too. "Aren't they amazing?" asks Evan's mother, hugging him after she sets the toys aloft. "Yeah. Amazing," he replies, seeing what she doesn't: the real animals are floating away, too. Writing entirely in dialogue, Richards (The Problem with Not Being Scared of Monsters) suggests that a quiet, everyday magic is all around, just waiting for us to notice. Ages 4-8. Author's agent: Ammi-Joan Paquette, Erin Murphy Literary. (Aug.) © Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.
Horn Book Review
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 hes 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 Moms back turned, Evan sees the zoos 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 mothers 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 Moms initial distraction (she quickly checks back in, however, and puts down her phone) and Evans curiosity, as he is full of smiles and knowing glances directed at the zoos inhabitants. elisa gall (c) Copyright 2016. The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Booklist Review
The title question sparks a playful interchange between an African American mother and son visiting a zoo. The child, at first, has trouble getting his mother's attention she's absorbed in her smartphone. But once she realizes her son is asking if a balloon can make his toy elephant fly, not the actual one behind them, she joins in the game. This is a nice touch, as kids will recognize how hard it can be to get parents off their devices. Soon the pair are busy looking at the zoo animals, with the mom tying balloons around their toy counterparts. Newman's charcoal-and-crayon illustrations move the story from the dark cityscape of the first double-page spread into the vibrant, colorful zoo. The scenes of the little boy tying balloons onto actual zebras' tails and handing one to a real gorilla will have to be explained as examples of how not to behave around animals. This is an otherwise lovely story about a mom and a son enjoying themselves at the zoo.--Fletcher, Connie Copyright 2016 Booklist