Look To The Sky Again

When we get caught up in the seemingly normal busyness of our days and nights, it is easy to pass by something out of the ordinary.  We are going in a rush but as our mind focuses on what we saw, heard or smelled we literally put on the brakes wondering if what we just experienced could possibly be true.  It's like when you go out with your dog in the early hours of the morning, slightly past midnight, and the sky suddenly explodes in color.  It's so unexpected you can't believe it's real but the display of northern lights is a wonderful truth.

If an extraterrestrial happens to crash his ship in your yard, you might feel as though you are dreaming but this is exactly what happens in Your Alien (Sterling Children's Books, August 4, 2015) written by Tammi Sauer with illustrations by Goro Fujita.  A fast friendship is formed between the human boy and the small green alien child.  Fortunately for readers the best buddies are reunited in Your Alien Returns (Sterling Children's Books, October 4, 2016).  Space contains no boundaries when love fills two hearts.

When you least expect it, something special will get your attention.

Your alien will be back.

Can you imagine waking up to see your extraterrestrial pal peeking in your window, wanting you over for a playdate?  Of course, you ask your parents for permission.  As usual they are perfectly preoccupied.

You gaze out of your alien's ship as you whiz through space and past planets, barely able to contain your excitement.  On your arrival, like a good host, he offers you a snack.  One you eat with relish, the other, more alive one, you decline.

You present your favorite toys to one another, resting afterward in an otherworldly fort.  Meeting his playmates is a bit overwhelming; there are a lot of them. You do your best to fit it, but you feel like a failure.

Your forever companion, your alien, he knows you better than you can believe.  Quick as a wink he changes inward groans to outward grins.  This is what friends do for friends, no matter where they live.  That night after you have related the events of the day to your patient (but unbelieving) parents, a look out your window yields yet one more surprise.


By using a second person point-of-view, Tammi Sauer allows us to be up-close and personal with every moment of this story.  We can easily become the boy or his alien.  This style of narration connects us more deeply to the emotional impact of the interactions between the friends.  It's as if we are experiencing everything in real time.

Not only will her use of language in writing this tale touch your heart but it will also tickle your funny bone.  She leaves room for illustrative interpretation when the boy checks with his parents about leaving the planet with his alien friend or when a snack with lively eyes is offered by the alien.  Each sentence carefully builds to bring readers back to the beginning but we like the boy and his pal, are far richer than we were.  Here is a sample passage.

Your alien will show you around his neighborhood.
Some things will remind you of home.
But other things will be completely new.


When you open the matching dust jacket and book case, a full image spans from the left to the right.  As the sun rises over the rolling landscape of the boy's yard, his friend hovers above him ready to take him on a ride to remember.  As in the first title, if you run your hands over the title text you will feel its nubby texture.  The boy and the spaceship are also slightly raised.  On the back, to the left, placed in the lightening sky are the words

AN INTERPLANETARY PLAYDATE BETWEEN
BEST FRIENDS WHO LIVE WORLDS APART.

You simply can't help but smile at the opening and closing endpapers created by Goro Fujita.  Between the two eighteen pictures of the alien engaged in fun activities on his home planet appear on a black canvas.  A few of the pictures show him with a helmet on his head as he rides on a rocket-propelled skateboard, or as he snacks on scoops of geometric ice cream, tongue ready to taste, kneels to look at a creature in a fish bowl which looks similar to a favorite treat, soaks in red goo and twirls a wand like a giant sparkler.  On the verso and title pages, the alien is zooming between planets, a smile on his face as he travels to Earth.

Rendered in Adobe Photoshop these visuals span one or two pages, full of life and light.  Sometimes Fujita will place two or three loosely framed images on a single page to emphasize a point.  In particularly strong emotional sequences we are near the characters' faces.  Every mood of the duo is conveyed with truth and excellence.

One of my many favorite illustrations is when the boy is requesting permission from his parents to travel with his alien.  It takes place in the kitchen of his home.  His mother is shielding herself from a geyser shooting from the center of the sink.  His father is tinkering with the plumbing under the sink.  Puddles of water can be seen in the sunlight on the floor.  Behind the talking boy, the alien is peeking around the corner from the hallway.

Your Alien Returns written by Tammi Sauer with illustrations by Goro Fujita clearly shines a light on the soul of friendship.  Differences in appearance, food, games, customs and where you live don't matter to friends.  The most important thing is each other.  This is an uplifting tale and a stellar companion to the first title.  You will be asked to read them both over and over again.

To discover more about Tammi Sauer and Goro Fujita please follow the links attached to their names to access her website and his blog.  At Tammi's website she has an Alien Activity Kit for you to use with both books.  Fourteen interior pages can be viewed by following this link.  KidLit 411 chats with Tammi Sauer.  PictureBookBuilders showcases this title.  In the autumn of the year of the summer release of the first book, Emily Yarrow created a Your Alien song.

Look To The Sky

Thirty-three years ago in June a film releases redefining the boundaries of friendship.  Left behind by members of a botany team, an extraterrestrial forms a unique connection with a ten-year-old boy.  Since that time, it's safe to say the motion picture has reached classic status for several reasons.

It's one thing to befriend another gal or guy, a furry family pal, or one of nature's critters who happens to cross paths with you but it's a rarity to have an opportunity to become best buddies with a being from outer space.  Your Alien (Sterling Children's Books, August 4, 2015) written by Tammi Sauer with illustrations by Goro Fujita explores one of life's most often asked questions.  We all wonder if there is life on other planets.

You will be looking out your window when something wonderful comes your way.

This something wonderful is small and green with two antennae on top of a head.  It has a barrel-shaped body with two tiny arms and legs and is wearing a white one-piece garment with a red star in the center.  It appears to be uninjured after its vehicle fell from the sky and crash landed nearby your home.

You try to explain its presence to your parents but they are otherwise engaged to pay much attention.  Your new chum accompanies you to school to the delight of your classmates.  Your teacher does not quite believe what she is seeing.  (The theme music from E. T. the Extra-Terrestrial might be playing in her head.  I know it would be in mine.)

When you share common everyday experiences with your alien, it's like seeing them for the first time.  You two head home when it's nearly dinner time but your companion has other ideas about what makes for a delicious meal.  As it gets darker outside, the cheerful spirit worn by your playmate all day begins to fade.

You attempt to raise its spirits like your Mom or Dad would do for you.  It's the sound of a soft

sniffle

and a

MEEP!
OOG! 

which prompts a show of affection and gives you a brilliant idea.  Circling back to the beginning something wonderful comes with a look out a window.


Written in second-person narrative, Tammi Sauer invites readers to assume the role of the boy; a role we gladly accept.  We walk through an ordinary day with an extraordinary individual.  Sauer gives us compassion and creativity in the character of the boy.  Through the personality of the alien we realize exceptional gifts do not preclude another from needing life's essentials.

Use of language and word choices exhibit the true tenderness found at the heart of the story.  Each sentence is essential to forming the circular path this story takes.  Subtle bits of humor contribute to the lighthearted but heartwarming essence.  Here is a sample passage.

You'll have to break
the news to your parents.
Luckily, they won't notice
what they just agreed to.


Rubbing your hand over the dust jacket the boy and the alien are raised to add dimension to the illustration.  Your Alien feels a little nubby like toad skin.  The illustrations on the matching jacket and book case extend back to front over the spine.  To the left a full moon with squared edges shines down on the words

A Friendship That's Out Of ThisWorld...

The opening and closing endpapers are funny and joyful.  On a black canvas the alien is shown engaged in twenty different activities; chasing a butterfly, blowing a melody on a sea shell, watching a goldfish swim in a bowl and standing in an upside down umbrella during a rain shower.  The verso and title page begin the story showing him navigating in his spaceship through an asteroid belt.

Rendered using Adobe Photoshop Goro Fujita elevates the text with every image.  Details in the boy's room, a close-up of the alien after landing, the alien swinging on a light fixture, playing in the drinking fountain or eating a sofa cushion and the facial expressions and gestures of the boy increase the depth of the experience for readers.  Fujita alters picture sizes and perspective in perfect sync with the narrative.  Even in the dark of night there is luminosity to his illustrations.

Without telling you the content of one of my favorite pictures, on a single page, the play of light and shadow is uplifting.  We are given a bird's eye view of the scene.  It takes us higher and higher and farther and farther away, literally and emotionally.


Your Alien written by Tammi Sauer with illustrations by Goro Fujita will make a perfect bedtime, story time or any time book.  It's like your favorite cozy blanket or stuffed toy; you'll want to have it with you.  This story glows; shining a light on what makes a friend a true friend.

To discover more about Tammi Sauer and Goro Fujita please follow the links attached to their names to take you to her website and his blog.  Tammi Sauer participated in a chat with teacher librarian Matthew C. Winner on the Let's Get Busy Podcast Episode #52.  This title is highlighted on the blogs of educators, Kurt Stroh, Kids Talk Kid Lit, and Michelle Knott, Mrs. Knott's Book Nook.