Life on Mars

A bit lost on the way back to the spaceship, the cosmic explorer stumbles across definitive proof of life: a flower. Mission success! Bursting with quiet wit and gorgeous Martian vistas. Simply masterful. 

There’s plenty of humor in the contrast between Agee’s text and pictures, and that skittish Martian is a hoot all on its own. Kids who lose it over Jon Klassen’s I Want My Hat Back (2011) will likely appreciate Agee’s guileless astronaut.

The humor continues through the very last page. Agee, with his unique and winning view of the world, never talks down to children and always asks readers to slow down and enjoy his take on what they might not otherwise see.

PreS-Gr 2--A young astronaut lands on the red planet and, despite detractors, is determined to find a sign of life there. In his hand is a package, tied with a red ribbon, that holds a chocolate cupcake, a gift to any extraterrestrial he might run into. But as the boy walks about the dark, cold, and rocky landscape, he begins to wonder if anything could possibly live there. Expansive spreads in shades of gray and brown with tinges of pink feature the diminutive traveler and allow readers to see what the boy can't: the large, friendly-looking, but somewhat perplexed creature following him, who picks up the package he has left behind. Frustrated in his search, the child heads back to the spaceship, until voila, he discovers the sign he is looking for: a bright yellow flower. Agee, a master of the humorous picture book (It's Only Stanley, Nothing, and Terrific), offers lots of visual jokes here, including an especially delightful note that ends the tale. In addition, the simple vocabulary and large print (white against black) make this a good choice for emergent readers. VERDICT Sure to be a hit with beginning readers and storytime audiences alike.--Daryl Grabarek, School Library Journal

Copyright 2016 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

Dramatic irony rules this expedition to Mars, in which a young human roams the rocky environment, unaware that he is not alone. The sky is black, the landscape the color of dust. The frowning boy astronaut, who carries an incongruous white box tied with red string, delivers a dejected monologue: "It's dark. It's cold. I've brought this gift of chocolate cupcakes. I don't think I'll find anybody to eat them." He fails to notice the pear-shaped, cantaloupe-orange creature--20 times his size--who is following and observing him. Agee's (Lion Lessons) quirky humor manifests in absurd elements such as the cupcake box, which the boy temporarily misplaces, and the anxious Martian, who pretends to be a hill when the astronaut loses sight of his rocket: "I bet I'll get a good view from the top of that mountain!" says the boy, unwittingly climbing the creature. The boy's discovery of a yellow flower confirms his speculation about "life on Mars," though he never notices the elephant in the room. It's satisfying silliness from start to finish, with a gotcha ending that will prompt requests for repeat readings. Ages 4-8. Agent: Holly McGhee, Pippin Properties. (Feb.)

Copyright 2017 Publishers Weekly, LLC Used with permission.

Praise for Life on Mars

"We are made hopeful by fresh questions and mysteries about our ultimately unknowable and inexhaustibly interesting universe . . . [The book] invites us to be fearless with our faults and bold in our explorations, and to remember that wonder is never withdrawn." —New York Times Book Review

"Delightful deadpan humor." —San Francisco Chronicle

"Jon Agee excels at creating picture books with unusual settings and characters . . . For young readers, this book serves as a great introduction to the kinds of books where the reader knows more information than the main character does." —The Huffington Post

"Target[s] the preschool humor level with canny accuracy. Streamlined compositions shaggily outlined in deep charcoal make this ideal for group sharing—and no doubt plenty of shouted interaction." —BCCB 

"The words tell one story and the pictures another in this charming tale from master picture book creator Jon Agee...Out of this world." —BookPage