OUT THERE

This book is about the universe we call ours—and the not-so remote possibility that life might exist “out there.”

Our universe is big—really big. Chances are likely that we are not alone in inhabiting it. But if someone else is out there, what form would that life have? “Creepy extraterrestrials” looking a bit like us, only with big, bald heads, pallid skin, and big, eerie eyes? Robotlike creatures? Fanged green bipeds with antennae and webbed feet? What would their attitude be toward us: evil and warmongering? Friendly and peaceful? But wait! What if that extraterrestrial life is just like ours, minding its own business on its remote planet? People who look just like us, with our diversity, both human and animal; an intelligent life-form behaving just like we do, on a planet just like ours? Author/illustrator Sullivan’s tour de force comes in the form of a surprise in the last few pages: What if we, human beings inhabiting planet Earth, are someone else’s alien life? An imaginative invitation to empathy and a serious reflection on otherness are hidden between the pages of an adorable and cleverly written piece. Candid and colorful illustrations on two-page spreads do justice to a simple and thought-provoking narrative, postulated scenes depicted in round frames, as if seen through a telescope.

Inspiring and perspective-granting.