The Blue Balloon

It's certainly true that children love balloons, and the balloon in this captivating fantasy is an exceptional one indeed. It looks like an ordinary, soggy blue balloon when the family dog finds it in the garden, but the boy soon finds out that it has ``Strange and Wonderful Powers.'' This balloon is indestructible: it refuses to pop, even when squeezed, squashed and whacked with a stick. It disappears and comes back shaped like a square; it even takes the boy ``for a fly'' to another planet. Readers will delight in discovering that the book, like the balloon, has some special features: several pages fold out (and/or up), enabling the balloon to grow and stretch into various shapes. Both boy and dog have wonderfully expressive faces as they react to the balloon's extraordinary feats. Inkpen has created an imaginative, beautifully produced book. Ages 3-8. (Apr.)