JURASSIC JEFF

An extraterrestrial with a chip on his shoulder learns about friendship from an empathetic group of dinosaurs.

Jeff crash-lands his spacecraft on prehistoric Earth and declares himself ruler only to be met with laughter and Pterodactyl poop. He meets Carl and Hungry, two talking dinosaurs who tolerate his demands to meet their leader, as well as petlike Spike. Spike drools and cannot speak, but Carl and Hungry love him and include him in decision-making. As Jeff learns more about the flora and fauna of Earth, he becomes both comfortable leading a cooking lesson and impatient with Earth’s less-evolved population. Jeff represents a technologically advanced but selfish, status-driven perspective, while the dinosaurs are in touch with nature and their feelings and do not take Jeff’s insults personally, regarding him indulgently, as one would a cranky toddler. The biomes and landscapes, such as forest, swamp, canyon, and lakeshore, are visually distinct and help separate the group’s adventure into geographical segments. Likewise, each of the species on Earth bears a unique silhouette and color. Everyone stands out, including (literally and hilariously) a fish with feet. The laughs are as dependable as the moral. With the exception of Sara, a dinosaur who, along with her babies, enjoys Jeff’s cooking lesson, the cast reads entirely male. The backmatter includes instructions for drawing Jeff and Carl and a guide to Jeff’s alien alphabet.

The funniest, most heartwarming alien invasion this side of the Jurassic Period.