Peeper and Zeep

PreS-Gr 1--What do a young bird and a purple alien have in common? At first, only circumstance. Peeper has fallen from his nest and hurt his wing. Zeep has crashed his spaceship. Both long to return home but don't know how to get there. In a geodesic dome, they find A. Frog, inventor. Frog sends them aloft using one kind of propulsion and then another, but they're no closer to their goal. Frog is forced to think outside--or, rather, inside--the box, and the three build a new home together. All they need for perfect happiness is--and they have to wait only two pages for it--for their families to join them. This is Gudeon's third book. In all three, the sophisticated, digitally colored ink illustrations come across as quirky and childlike. VERDICT The easy, repetitive text complemented by eye-catching cartoon art will encourage and reinforce young children's efforts to read on their own. A great choice for beginning reader collections.--Susan Weitz, formerly at Spencer-Van Etten School District, Spencer, NY