Three Magic Balloons

K-Gr 2—Three sisters, Ariel, Miranda, and Jane, regularly visit the zoo with their father. One day their father gives them each some money, and instead of buying sweets or toys, they decide to buy feed for the animals. Regularly choosing to forgo snacks and toys, the girls are one day approached by the balloon man, who has noticed their thoughtfulness and rewards them each with a balloon. When they return home, they each tie their balloons to their bedposts. That night the balloons magically transport the girls out their window, through space, and up to heaven. They meet angels and animals but must return home before morning. What starts as a story of kindness and sacrifice and seems grounded in realism shifts gears noticeably when the magic balloons begin to transport them. The flow of the story and the illustrations falls apart with the more fantastical elements.