TO ACTIVATE SPACE PORTAL, LIFT HERE

Diplomacy is easy—if you don’t look hungry.

Opening this book, savvy readers will spot the words power and auto translate in the bottom-right-hand corner of each double-page spread, with a colorful dot by each indicating the battery life of the device…er, book. Within a few page turns, a portal opens to reveal two extraterrestrial friends, yellow-skinned Blrg and orange-skinned Zrk. While the alien duo initially worry that readers are here to eat them, these concerns evaporate when they notice those “very tiny teeth.” While some messages get a little garbled (“What is your planet called? Planeturth? Never heard of it”), the interaction is mostly pleasant, and a colorful menagerie of extraterrestrials come to gawk before the book’s power level drops enough that the portal must close. Overall, it’s an amusing plot device, and one that will generate a lot of giggles from a receptive audience. Thickly outlined in black, the bold illustrations will show well to a large storytime. Portis provides extreme close-ups that give the artwork a surreal, Cubist feeling. Blrg’s and Zrk’s amorphous faces may initially confuse perceptive readers—the number of eyes on the aliens varies from one to two—but the visual gag is addressed in the text. UFO lovers will find this tale heavenly.

Zany, out-of-this-world fun.