Review by Publisher's Weekly 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. Author's agent: Laura Rennert, Andrea Brown Literary Agency. (Aug.) © Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.
(c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved
Review by School Library Journal Review
K-Gr 2-Say a kid alien crashes into your yard. As Your Alien says, "You will want to keep him." Told in the future perfect tense, this sweet and bright book describes your experience with your new alien friend. Somehow, your parents don't notice, and neither does your teacher, as you and your alien "see ordinary things in a brand-new way." But something isn't quite right, and your alien starts to miss home. So you do the right thing-signal its parents to take it home! The illustrations are stylistically akin to shots from an animated short, with shading that looks almost like brush strokes but are created digitally. At its core, the sentiments of the book are heartwarming-the little boy in the story realizes the importance of home- and the use of you draws readers into the story. There is no doubt that lovers of space will enjoy this spin on E.T. VERDICT A tender and playful look at the meaning of home-with aliens!-Lisa Nowlain, Darien Library, CT © Copyright 2015. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
(c) Copyright Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Review by Horn Book Review
An alien comes to live with a little boy but gets homesick so the boy helps him return to his family. The unusual second-person narration gives an appropriately otherworldly quality to the warm story about homesickness and the comfort of family. With many on nighttime backgrounds with striking rendering of light, the illustrations adeptly capture the alien's wistfulness and the boy's compassion. (c) Copyright 2016. The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
(c) Copyright The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Review by Kirkus Book 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 waysbut 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. (Picture book. 3-6) Copyright Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
