A funny, heartwarming story of the fabulous friendship between a boy and an alien child. Highlights the importance of friends and family. Suitable for children aged 3 and over.
Tammi Sauer is a former teacher and library media specialist who is highly involved in the children's book community. Her many popular picture books include Cowboy Camp (9781454913603), Chicken Dance, Bawk Roll, and The Twelve Days of Christmas in Oklahoma. Visit Tammi online at tammisauer.com. Goro Fujita was born in Japan and moved with his family to Germany when he was three years old. He was fascinated by drawing ever since he was a little child. In 2008 he moved to San Jose, California, where he works as a book illustrator and visual development artist on feature films. Rumour has it that aliens taught him how to paint. Visit Goro online at area-56.de.
“It’s best-friendship at first contact after a flying saucer
crashes outside a boy’s house, and a Little Green Man with a white
jumpsuit and a snaggletoothed smile emerges. In second-person
narration that has an understated tenderness, Sauer (Nugget and
Fang) follows the two through the day. The boy’s parents don’t
notice the new arrival, his classmates are mesmerized, and ‘As for
your teacher? She’ll think she needs new glasses.’ Beyond the
evident warmth Fujita (the Robots Rule series) creates between
alien and boy, he has a real way with light; the passage of time is
almost tangible in the way sunlight streams through windows or
wanes as the friends race down a hill flying a kite. And when the
alien’s homesickness sets in, it’s light—specifically every light
in the boy’s house, as well as ‘a few extras here and there’ (think
Christmas in July)—that attracts the attention of two green parents
eager to find their child. Not since E.T. has extraterrestrial
entertainment stood such a good chance of making kids (and their
parents) tear up. Ages 3–up.” —Publishers Weekly (starred
review)
“Even aliens need hugs!
‘You will be looking out your window
when something wonderful comes your way.’ That something is a
small, green, tentacled, and impossibly cute alien making a poor
landing in a spacecraft. Of course, the Caucasian boy stand-in for
‘you’ wants to keep him. Fortunately his distracted parents don’t
notice what they are agreeing to. The alien enjoys school (though
the class bunny makes him nervous). He helps his human friend see
the world in new ways…but before long, the boy notices his alien
wistfully staring out the window. Nothing seems to make him happy,
but a hug helps a little (and gives the boy a clue to what might be
wrong with his new friend). Turning all the house lights on draws
attention from outer space, and ‘the reunion scene will be out of
this world.’ After waving goodbye to his little green buddy, it’s
the boy who is wistful. Fortunately, something wonderful (in the
form of parental hugging) comes his way again. Sauer’s sweet tale
of interplanetary friendship makes terrific use of second-person
narration. Young listeners will identify with the young protagonist
whether they have dreamed of having an alien best friend or not
(but really, who hasn’t?). Fujita’s digitally created cartoon
illustrations have the appearance of acrylic paintings and augment
the gentle humor of the simple tale.
Will likely inspire preschoolers to stare
hopefully heavenward looking for their own close encounters.”
—Kirkus Reviews (STARRED REVIEW)
“It’s best-friendship at first contact after a flying saucer
crashes outside a boy’s house, and a Little Green Man with a white
jumpsuit and a snaggletoothed smile emerges. In second-person
narration that has an understated tenderness, Sauer (Nugget and
Fang) follows the two through the day. The boy’s parents don’t
notice the new arrival, his classmates are mesmerized, and ‘As for
your teacher? She’ll think she needs new glasses.’ Beyond the
evident warmth Fujita (the Robots Rule series) creates between
alien and boy, he has a real way with light; the passage of time is
almost tangible in the way sunlight streams through windows or
wanes as the friends race down a hill flying a kite. And when the
alien’s homesickness sets in, it’s light—specifically every light
in the boy’s house, as well as ‘a few extras here and there’ (think
Christmas in July)—that attracts the attention of two green parents
eager to find their child. Not since E.T. has extraterrestrial
entertainment stood such a good chance of making kids (and their
parents) tear up. Ages 3–up.” —Publishers Weekly (starred
review)
“Even aliens need hugs!
‘You will be looking out your window
when something wonderful comes your way.’ That something is a
small, green, tentacled, and impossibly cute alien making a poor
landing in a spacecraft. Of course, the Caucasian boy stand-in for
‘you’ wants to keep him. Fortunately his distracted parents don’t
notice what they are agreeing to. The alien enjoys school (though
the class bunny makes him nervous). He helps his human friend see
the world in new ways…but before long, the boy notices his alien
wistfully staring out the window. Nothing seems to make him happy,
but a hug helps a little (and gives the boy a clue to what might be
wrong with his new friend). Turning all the house lights on draws
attention from outer space, and ‘the reunion scene will be out of
this world.’ After waving goodbye to his little green buddy, it’s
the boy who is wistful. Fortunately, something wonderful (in the
form of parental hugging) comes his way again. Sauer’s sweet tale
of interplanetary friendship makes terrific use of second-person
narration. Young listeners will identify with the young protagonist
whether they have dreamed of having an alien best friend or not
(but really, who hasn’t?). Fujita’s digitally created cartoon
illustrations have the appearance of acrylic paintings and augment
the gentle humor of the simple tale.
Will likely inspire preschoolers to stare
hopefully heavenward looking for their own close encounters.”
—Kirkus Reviews (STARRED REVIEW)
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