PLANETS

A quick spin about the solar system shows why it’s a good idea just to stay home.

For all the blocky effervescence of his stylish illustrations, Devolle’s message is downright quelling: Mercury is too hot on one side and too cold on the other, Venus is all volcanoes “spewing out horrible, eggy, sulfurous smoke,” Jupiter has a huge storm, and all the other planets are likewise uninviting—except for Earth, which is the only one capable of supporting “life in all its many forms.” The author complements this premature and dismally narrow-minded claim with slapdash physics (neither prospective space explorers nor the spaghetti they might eat would float in midair on Mars, as the picture suggests) and a failure even to mention moons, asteroids, or any dwarf planets other than Pluto. A pink-skinned child and a canine sidekick serve as tour guides through the gallery of stylized planets and landscapes; most of the other occasionally appearing human figures are darker of hue. (This book was reviewed digitally.)

Thin fare even for confirmed groundlings.