Please Bring Balloons

PreS-Gr 1—The opening lines of this story will grab the attention of anyone who has ever felt the thrill of finding a hidden note. Emma is suspicious of a carousel polar bear's ability to write a note, let alone ask for a balloon, but she plays along, "just in case." What happens next requires even more balloons and a trip into Emma's imagination as she and the polar bear are lifted into the night sky toward the North Star. When they land, Emma is grateful that she is wearing her red snow boots. She and the bear scale icy mountains, trudge through deep snow, and (on a double gatefold) encounter polar bears partying. Ward combines prints of maps and colorful paper to lend a whimsical and jaunty air to the pair's nighttime escapade. Finally, the two travelers sail home and Emma gets tucked into bed, only to wake up and find "everything as it always was." When she returns to the carousel, she finds another note, asking for something even more surprising. While the story line labors over the dream/reality transition, readers will appreciate the ending. Emma's adventure would make an interesting prompt for imaginative writing.—Jenna Boles, Greene County Public Library, OH