Elbert in the Air

When infant Elbert floats into the air soon after his birth, his mother stands on tiptoe to feed him. In response to a neighbor's suggested alternative ("Net him like a butterfly"), she says simply, "If Elbert was born to float, I will let him." Myriad logistical quandaries follow the child's maturation. When it looks as if he'll have to celebrate his birthday alone ("No one else is up here"), his mother climbs a ladder with a birthday cake. And she remains undaunted as school administrators and community officials complain about her son's buoyancy, even mounting a fire escape to champion him. "Just be yourself," she says, "and you'll find friends." Eventually, when he does, he returns the faithful love she's shown him. Digital artwork from Pumphrey (Somewhere in the Bayou) portrays the duo with brown skin and a retro look, while a limited palette combines with blocky forms to highlight sign-like shapes, such as the crane Elbert's mother scrambles up to hand him an encouraging gift. Imbuing a fairy tale setup with plausible real-world results, Wesolowska (Leo + Lea) writes a warming story of loving someone just the way they are. Ages 4-8. Author's agent: Kelly Sonnack, Andrea Brown Literary. Illustrator's agent: Hannah Mann, Writers House. (Feb.)

K-Gr 2--From the moment Elbert is born, he floats. In spite of plenty of strangers (and the nurse and the librarian and the teacher) offering Elbert's mother advice for how to bring him down to earth, Elbert's mother encourages him to remain true to himself. Still, as Elbert grows, he floats higher and farther away from everyone, until he becomes lonely. Will he find his place, or others like him? Wesolowska's deftly created structure, which like her first book, Leo + Lea, makes use of allegory (although in that one it was the Fibonacci code), will speak to children and adults wherever they are in their personal journey to finding themselves without feeling didactic or preachy. Pumphrey's literal interpretation of the text (Mom really is climbing a crane to bring Elbert a picnic) done in muted vintage colors with the look of carved stamps keeps the tone light and playful, so that children are likely to infer the deeper meaning of the story more than understand it; this trust in the compassion of young readers only reinforces it. Elbert and his mother both have black curly hair and light brown skin while the background characters show a wide range of skin tones and hair colors. A fun story with plenty of space left in it to apply it to nearly any discussion about celebrating who you are, especially if you feel different. And don't we all? VERDICT Featuring the unconditional, iridescent love of a caregiver and Elbert's own stoic nature, this is a stellar purchase for every picture book collection.--Hillary Perelyubskiy

The ending... underscores a dilemma faced by any minority group: how do you bond with those who share your experience without the majority characterizing you as other? It's an ending that could certainly spark some guided conversation, but readers can also just appreciate Elbert's consistently compassionate mother and his new group of friends. -BCCB