School Library Journal Review
K-Gr 3-When a spaceship drops out of the sky and a space creature arrives in his woods, Possum makes kindly gestures toward the fearful alien and the two of them become friends. They talk about the things they have in common and the things that make them different. In the second vignette, Possum takes Alien on a nocturnal jaunt in search of a midnight treat. While Possum scavenges for food, the newcomer tries to converse with the trash can. In the last section, the friends struggle to keep Possum awake to hear the end of a bedtime story that Alien is reading with all sorts of tricks including pinches and ice cubes. Children will enjoy the gentle humor and the friendship between the characters. The appealing illustrations reinforce the mood and provide visual clues. There is a whimsical charm to the story that is perfectly captured by the sweet expressions of the protagonists. This first book in a new series will hold definite appeal for fans of Arnold Lobel's "Frog and Toad" series (HarperCollins).-Maura Bresnahan, Shawsheen School, Andover, MA (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Publisher's Weekly Review
Three droll vignettes make up Johnston's (The Iguana Brothers) appealing launch of the Alien & Possum beginner reader series, which introduces two very different pals. After Possum (wearing a spiffy bowler hat) observes a spaceship crash near his tree house, he encounters its passenger: "It was made of many strange things. It made many strange sounds." Alien is also "many colors" while Possum is but one hue: gray. Though the author drums the message home a bit loudly in the first vignette ("Things of all colors can be friends," says Possum), for the most part, the morals are delivered with subtlety and wit, focusing on the ability of friendships to ride out various challenges. In the final story, for instance, Possum falls asleep while Alien reads him a bedtime story and then eats the book ("It was such a good bedtime story I ate it"), but the creature's "electro-perfect memory" enables him to recite the story for Possum when he awakens. DiTerlizzi's (Ted) copious watercolor, gouache and colored pencil illustrations enhance both the humor and the warmth of the caper and help recommend it for readers ready to take a step up from picture books. A springy pace, lively dialogue and Alien's silly sound effects should make this, like Possum's bedtime story, an ideal read-aloud. Ages 6-8. (Sept.) (c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved
