A RAINBOW BALLOON: A Book of Concepts

Thirty lovely color photos of a hot-air balloon, on the ground and aloft, accompanied by a simple but informative text. In addition, each pair of pictures is labeled with appropriate opposites: ""rise"" and ""fall,"" ""near"" and ""far,"" etc.; ""light,"" showing the balloon's shadow on a sunny field, and ""dark,"" the burner making the brightly colored craft ""glow like a lantern,"" make an especially imaginative pair. It's an interesting idea, though the opposites and the main text may appeal to slightly different levels, and the pairings imposed on the photos cause some bumpiness in the narrative flow; still, Lenssen's first book is carried out with grace and style. Similar in appeal to Johnson's Fire and Silk (1991), but for a slightly younger audience.