BEYOND THE STARS

Who would guess that the wonders of
outer space include not only stars and planets, but astro-dogs and cookies and
milk?

Printed on heavy, coated stock that
unfolds in stages into a wall hanging, this extraterrestrial flight of fancy
features a rocket at its center with an enthralled child peering through a large
porthole at a succession of marvels. These include but are not confined to
ringed planets, a flaming meteor, the International Space Station, a grinning, green-skinned
ET flashing a “peace” sign, a mouse nibbling on a ragged moon, and an astronaut
calling in an order to a floating pizza parlor. Along with posing the question “Are
cookies found in the Milky Way?” Riggs’ five-sentence narrative includes a “Greetings,
Earthlings!” from the alien and an exuberant observation at the end: “Many
worlds await beyond the stars!” Sheban casts a low, mysterious glow over
his crowded starscape, too dim to determine the ethnic identities of his human
figures but bright enough to make out, for instance, a pair of canine space
travelers and the yummy snack (see above) suspended in space amid the shadowy
planets and satellites.

A droll mix of science and silliness
just right for a bedtime flight. (Novelty board book. 2-4)