ALIEN AND POSSUM

Possum’s open-minded attitude helps him to make an unusual new friend. One night while sitting under a tree, Possum sees a spaceship land and Alien (a dome covers two eyes on stems at the top of a fairly standard space suit) comes out. At first fearful, Alien is convinced by Possum that despite their contrasts—“You are hairy. I am smooth”—they can still be friends. Succeeding chapters have them searching for delicious trash and trying to share a bedtime story. DiTerlizzi (Ted, p. 329, etc.) uses watercolors, gouache, and colored pencils to depict the two and their simple adventures in a combination of full- and double-paged spreads as well as in smaller vignettes. Droll and expressive language helps to add a little humor to what might have been too much of a lesson about understanding differences, and readers will look forward to “hanging out” with the two in a sequel of the same name. (Easy reader. 6-8)