THE ALIENS DO NOT WANT TO GO HOME

Nothing’s more fun than a playdate—and nothing’s more frustrating than being told it’s time to go home.

Creatures from far-off planets have convened for an excursion in a small farming town on Earth. The good times must come to an end now, but the young participants make excuses to prolong the amusement. They have to put their shoes on—which could take a while, given how many feet some of them have. Besides, it isn’t even dark yet, and they’re in the midst of a complicated game; the accompanying image depicts the youngsters inadvertently creating crop circles as they romp through a cornfield. As the extraterrestrials ask to watch a film, the illustrations portray them donning 3-D glasses at a drive-in movie. Could this playdate turn into a sleepover? Pretty please? The narrative consists of the simplest of prose—the young aliens’ pleas to stay just a little bit longer—while the highly detailed, painterly artwork does the heavy lifting, imbuing the story with action, humor, and a bit of mystery. From a hairy creature who looks like a mashup of the Addams Family’s Cousin Itt and Star Wars’ Chewbacca to a purple spotted fellow with a single eye, each alien is strange but thoroughly delightful; luckily, humans aren’t around to witness the havoc they inadvertently wreak. At last, searchlights from an array of spaceships beam up the miscreants, who just might have carried some surprising Earth treasures with them.

Goofy, highly imaginative, and immense fun.