Eric, the Boy Who Lost His Gravity

When Eric gets angry at his younger sister, Alice—so angry that his mouth becomes a pencil scribble of fierceness—he loses his gravity and floats up to the ceiling, through the window, and out into the sky. Flying cheers Eric up immediately (“Wow! This is excellent,” he says), and with the lifting of his mood, his gravity returns; he lands in a tree, and his family sprints to his rescue. British artist Desmond’s (Backstage Cat) drawings of Eric’s and Alice’s mood changes have a comics sensibility to them, with anarchic, scrawled facial expressions. But she also combines collage and drawing to supply a comforting setting in which strong emotions can play out. In the living room, Eric’s father stands in his underwear, ironing his trousers, while his mother reads the newspaper, and Alice pesters Eric. Later, when Eric is rescued, his parents carry him home together. Eric’s momentary loss of gravity is part of a larger story of a family in which he and his sister are loved, and are learning to love each other. Ages 5–8. Agent: Kirsten Hall, the Bright Agency. (Mar.)