Emily's Balloon
PreS-While out for a walk, Emily's mother buys a yellow helium-filled balloon, which she ties to her daughter's finger for safekeeping. Once home, she attaches the string to Emily's spoon so the new plaything will float within the child's reach. The child plays with her toy in the house and garden, and when a breeze blows it into a tree, she is heartbroken. After her mother promises to retrieve the wayward balloon in the morning, Emily must be content to observe her portly friend safe in the tree, glowing like the moon and watching over her. The yellow balloon and its blue string stand out in a simple color palette of white, gray, and tan with a few accents of red. The illustrations, rendered in watercolor and charcoal, are placed on tan pages and surrounded by unadorned thin, round-edged black frames. A tale of a common childhood experience, tenderly and sweetly told.-Maryann H. Owen, Racine Public Library, WICopyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.