Ken Marantz and Sylvia Marantz (Children's Literature)
When a boy finds an airplane in his closet, he decides to “take it out for a go right away.” And away he flies until he runs out of gas and gets stuck on the moon. As his flashlight fades and he finds himself alone and afraid, “someone else” also lands on the moon with engine trouble. At first the boy and the arrived young Martian are both afraid, but soon they figure out together how to fix their machines so they can get home. The boy parachutes from the moon into the sea and swims home in time for his favorite program, but then he remembers what he has to do, for he has left the Martian on the moon. He is pulled back up to the moon to fix the Martian space ship while receiving fuel for his plane. Then they can both go home. It takes only the sparest of contexts to set the visual stage for this modern fantasy. The two youngsters are visualized with rectangular bodies round heads, minimal faces, stick legs, and no feet. The illustrations are done with watercolors, graphite, and collage; the red plane, creamy crescent moon, and green-faced Martian somehow all work set against the dark sky, while other adventures are on white pages. The series of nine vignettes showing the kids communicating and solving their problems is a gem. Somehow we believe it all. The final page is a provocative, a possible introduction to a sequel? 2008 (orig. 2007), Philomel Books/Penguin Young Readers Group, $16.99. Ages 4 to 8.

Kirkus (Kirkus Reviews, March 1, 2008 (Vol. 76, No. 5))
A boy (who bears a striking resemblance to the boy in Lost and Found, 2005 and How to Catch a Star, 2004) finds an airplane in his closet. Though he doesn't remember putting it there, he decides he should take it out for a flight. After flying higher and higher, he finds himself stranded on the moon with a dying flashlight. Following scary sounds, he meets a friendly Martian in a similar predicament. They make a list of what they need in order to fix both crafts, and the boy parachutes back to Earth. He's so tired, he initially forgets his mission. Then he remembers, gathers their equipment and hollers for the Martian to lower a rope. The two fix each other's machines and say their goodbyes. A peek at the last page shows that the friendship is far from over. Jeffers's latest tale of loneliness cured by friendship is as charming as his previous efforts. The space theme as well as the simple watercolor-and-pencil illustrations will please every young, imaginative adventurer. 2008, Philomel, 32p, $16.99. Category: Picture book. Ages 3 to 6. © 2008 Kirkus Reviews/VNU eMedia, Inc. All rights reserved.

Dennis LeLoup (Library Media Connection, April/May 2008)
When a young boy finds an airplane in his closet, he takes it out for a ride. He flies higher and higher into the sky, runs out of fuel, and is forced to make an emergency landing on the moon. This book relies on make-believe, such as the boy meeting up with a Martian on the moon, to keep the story moving. The outer space theme may sell this story to readers as long as they are willing to suspend belief. There are some good discussion points, like determining what the boy will do now that he is stuck on the moon. The text is simple with equally simple color illustrations, but the story has many loose connections. Additional Selection. 2008, Philomel Books (Penguin Young Readers Group), 32pp., $16.99 hc.. Ages 3 up.

Leta Tillman (The Lorgnette - Heart of Texas Reviews (Vol. 21, No. 2))
When a little boy finds an airplane in his closet he takes it for a ride right away. When it runs out of gas he is able to land safely on the moon. While trying to figure out how to get back home, a Martian crashes his space ship into the moon. Together they figure how to communicate with each other and how to get the boy’s airplane running. The boy parachutes back down to earth. He swims the ocean and is so tired that he almost forgets what he needed to do. He climbs the rope back to the moon with the tools he needed to fix the Martian’s space ship and some gas for his plane. It is then that the two new friends must say goodbye and they go in separate directions to their own homes. The watercolor, graphite, and collage artwork illustrations show the characters with round heads, box bodies, and stick legs. There is a bright red plane, a creamy-colored moon, a green faced Martian, and lots of amusing details. The series of nine scenes of the two new friends trying to communicate and solve their problems is a classic example of what it takes to unravel their difficulty but to do it together. All of these techniques translate into pleasing adventure for young readers. It will spur their imagination into the wild world of fantasy and outer space. The story will be a great addition to your fiction collection. Fiction. Grades PreK-2. 2008, Philomel Books, Unpaged., $16.99. Ages 3 to 8.