AUTHOR: Matthew Phillips
PUBLISHED BY: Bumblebee Books for Olympia Publishers
With a suggested reading age of 6-9 years this entertaining story, told in rhyme, is sure to delight young readers.
It is a tale of an alien called
Smalien who crashes down to earth with his pet robot dog, Poh. It is a reversal
story as instead of humans meeting aliens from space for the first time Smalien
and Poh from outer space, meet humans for the first time. They know what humans are as they’ve seen
them depicted in books back home on Saturn. They discover what a family on Earth is like and the sort of things they do, like having a picnic together and
playing catch with a ball. They also
meet the family’s dog, Chip, and enjoy playing with him.
Smalien tells the family that
their spaceship is broken and their dad repairs it for them. Smalien feels homesick as he watches Lucy
play with her family and before he takes off back into outer space with Poh, Smalien
promises to visit them again
The colourful illustrations bring
the story to life and make this a very enjoyable read for young children and
early readers, although parents or teachers may have to explain the meaning of
some of the words included, such as, 'profusely' and 'ecstatic' and explain what a
rotor in an engine is.
The story will encourage
inquisitive minds to question whether there is life on other planets and if there is, will they look like Smalien and Poh or will they be in another form.
Teachers (and parents) can use the book as a resource to host a discussion
about outer space, the planets and life beyond Earth.
The book’s compact size makes it
manageable for a child with small hands to hold. Plus, it has easy to slide pages which make
it easier for small hands eagerly wanting to turn over to the next part of the
story to handle. An added bonus is the
wipe-clean front and back covers and pages, ideal for parents reading the story
to children with sticky fingers.
Reviewer - Anne Pritchard
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