ALIEN BABY!

Entertainment for tots that’s visually and conceptually out of this world.

“They’re here…” and they’re babies! That’s the message from this delightful bedtime diversion. A classically bug-eyed ET and their otherworldly friends charm and amuse in this small, sturdy exploration of the paranormal for toddlers. Eye-catching artwork evokes the great science-fiction and fantasy pulp art of yesteryear, only with playful, toddler-sized creatures with big grins and a sense of adventure. The text is a series of rhymed couplets presented over bright and dazzling double-page spreads. Each vignette poses a question on the first page that is answered by opening a well-secured but mercifully easy-to-open flap on recto: “Who’s zipping past in a flash of light?” Opening the flap reveals the answer: “It’s Alien Baby taking flight!” The die-cut flaps won’t tear easily, and little fingers can grab and open each one with ease thanks to the unusual thickness of the pages and the generous amount of space between the edge of each flap and the rest of the page upon which it resides. UFOlogists will recognize Alien Baby as a “Roswell Gray.” The supporting cast includes a “space baboon,” a robot, a “lizard man,” two startled human astronauts (one brown skinned and one pale), and two adoring parents to tuck Alien Baby in to a whispered “night, night!” Companion title Bigfoot Baby! is earthbound and equally charming.

Stellar fun for any astronaut-to-be.