What Happens When...

"What happens when my balloon floats up, out of the zoo...?" opens this whimsical exploration of possibilities, which was first published in France. Each question appears at left, against a white background. On the right side, foldout pages reveal wildly imaginative scenarios. In the case of the first question, the balloon has made its way to a tiny red planet, where it's held by a green alien who waves to readers as rockets soar past. A bucket left at the beach becomes a muzzle for a law-breaking shark, and a sock that has slipped "behind the radiator" enjoys tea with tighty-whities that have apparently suffered a similar fate. Chedru's (Spot It! Find the Hidden Creatures) pictures feature crisply outlined shapes, contrasting colors, and artful use of negative space. Some questions address common childhood uncertainties ("What happens to my teacher during the summer break...?") and others hint at deeper metaphysical questions ("And to my bedroom when the light is switched off...?"), but all are likely to leave children with a renewed sense of wonder for life's possibilities, however improbable. Ages 5%E2%80%937. (May)