Balloon Dragons are so named because they are filled with a gas that makes them almost lighter than air, similar to balloons. However, they are not prone to bursting, as they are covered in tough skin and can deflate themselves if necessary. In addition, they generally are slow moving. They use their gas bladders to float to the tops of trees, where food is more abundant. They can shift their weight from their backs to their fronts, allowing them to reach leaves and fruit.

Dragons are highly-intelligent reptilian creatures that—from a human perspective, at least—appear to live forever. Many different varieties of dragon exist, each with their own unique qualities, habitats, and behavior. Adolescence in dragons is usually marked by the growth of a hatchling’s wings, although not all breeds of dragons grow wings and some breeds have other traits that indicate the beginning of maturation. In Galsreim, dragons and humans coexist peacefully.

Aboogala, better known as "Boo" in her cave, is a practical joker. She absolutely loves to laugh and will look for all sorts of ways to have a little fun at some other dragon's expense. Her favorite dragons to play jokes on are hatchlings. She volunteers to take them out for a little play time, but then when they go outside she inflates herself and pretends to be floating away. The little hatchlings don't realize she can voluntarily float back down and always scream and try to reach her. Obviously this kind of thing isn't appreciated by their mothers, but it's how a lot of the hatchlings first learn to fly. They panic, thinking Boo will float away forever, and the bigger ones will try their absolute hardest to fly.

The hatchlings get some unorthodox flying lessons and Boo gets to have a little fun. Everybody wins.