By Jonathan D. Voss ( Henry Holt and Company – 2022 )

Albert, a new boy, moved in to the neighborhood of Dot. Albert looked sad, even thought Dot wanted to play with him. And that night, Dot received a balloon tied to Albert’s hand writing note which said he wished to fly far far away. Dot wanted to make Albert happy, so she put her kite by his window. And then, she found another balloon with another his wish. This time he wished to have a dog. Dot put her stuffed dog by his window, and then she found the 3rd balloon tied to his big wish that his father came back to him. Finally she recognized that it was not necessary to make him happy, just stayed with him. She learned a powerful lesson about empathy, patience, and the joy of making a new friend.

Dotの隣人に新しい少年Albertがやって来た。彼は悲しそうであったが、Dotは彼と遊びたかった。その夜、彼女は彼の手書きのメモが付いた風船を受け取った。そこには遠くに飛んでゆきたいと書かれていた。Dotは彼をハッピーにさせようとして、彼女の凧を彼の窓辺に置いた。そしたら、今度は犬が欲しいと彼の書いたメモが付いた別の風船を見つけた。彼女のぬいぐるみの犬を彼の窓辺に置いたら、３番目の風船を見つけた。そこに書かれた彼の大きな願いは、父親に彼のそばに戻って来て欲しかったのだ。DotはAlbertをハッピーにする必要はなく、彼のそばにいるだけで良いのだと、ようやく気がついた。彼女は人の気持ちへの思いやりと忍耐を学び、新しい友人を得られた。