Using only four words and various punctuation marks, journalist/author Bruce Handy (The Book from Far Away) and artist Julie Kwon (Pedro & Daniel) mesmerize young readers with a life-changing adventure in Balloon. A smiling, brown-skinned parent and exuberant child gambol through the park, so enthralled by the child's orange balloon that both miss the pigeons feeding in their path. The interrupted flock scatters in great haste, causing the child to let go of the precious orb. Ellipses turn the single word into a mournful wail--"Balloon..."--as it flies away. A green replacement is offered, an orange popsicle proffered, but neither is enough. While continuing hand-in-hand, the duo catches glimpses of the runaway balloon everywhere, but they're revealed to be a frisbee, a cap, a helmet, until something orange at an adoption event catches the child's eye. Cradling a soft, orange kitten, the lucky child quickly receives parental assent. "Balloon," the child says, "That's your name." The final spread showcases a peaceful bedroom at nighttime, kid and kitty fast asleep, that elusive balloon silhouetted against the full moon glimpsed through the window.
Kwon's pen-and-ink and digital illustrations give readers a technicolor tour of the park, lively with families, friends, vendors, performers, and passers-by of virtually every ethnicity, culture, and age. She adroitly captures subjects in motion: spectators filming performances on their phones; an entertainingly reappearing curious orange squirrel. Handy additionally appends a charming "sort-of-true story" of his own family's Balloon (a Siamese, not a ginger). Author and artist share whimsical, near-wordless wonder with audiences of all ages. --Terry Hong