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Can One Balloon Make an Elephant Fly?

Illustrated by Jeff Newman

About The Book

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.

About The Author

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.

About The Illustrator

Jeff Newman grew up in Ashland, Massachusetts, and attended The Art Institute of Boston. His picture books include Hippo! NoRhinoThe BoysHand Book; The Greedy Worm; and Found. He currently lives in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.

Product Details

  • Publisher: Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers (August 23, 2016)
  • Length: 40 pages
  • ISBN13: 9781442452176
  • Grades: P - 3
  • Ages: 4 - 8
  • Lexile ® AD220L The Lexile reading levels have been certified by the Lexile developer, MetaMetrics®

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Raves and Reviews

"One of the firstbooks to so accurately portray what parental cellphone use may look like to achild and how it can affect parent/child relationships. A sweet story about connectedness and a willingness to believe in these modern times."

– Kirkus Reviews, June 1, 2016

"Writing entirely in dialogue, Richards...suggests that a quiet, everyday magic is all around, just waiting for us to notice."

– Publisher's Weekly, June 2016

"This book is a delight on so many levels....The illustrations are beautiful and seem almost to spring from the page....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."

– School Library Journal, July 2016

"Hold the phone for this one.... Its hint of magic—floating elephants and flying gorillas—makes it a treat for readers. Best of all is the magic between mother and child, who are present for one another."

– Julie Danielson, Kirkus Reviews 7/8/16

"lovely story about a mom and a son"

– Booklist, September 2016

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High Resolution Images

More books from this illustrator: Jeff Newman