The Way Back Home

Booklist (April 15, 2008 (Vol. 104, No. 16))
Preschool-Grade 1. In this childlike fantasy, a boy finds an airplane and takes it out for a ride—to the moon, where it runs out of fuel. Just as his flashlight grows dim, a spaceship crashes, and a Martian climbs out. Initially, each fears the other,

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but they quickly become fast friends. Soon they’re carrying out a splendid plan to repair their spacecraft and get back to their homes. Children who know Jeffers’ Lost and Found (2006) and How to Catch a Star (2004) may recognize the distinctive figure of the boy, with his large head, sticklike legs, and striped shirt, and catch other visual references to the earlier books. Economy of line in both text and pictures combine with Jeffers’ flair for storytelling to create plenty of fine, original scenes. The deadpan text is well matched by the slightly quirky pencil-and-watercolor illustrations, which make great use of color and composition on the large, double-page spreads. An imaginative space adventure for young children.

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A boy finds an airplane in his bedroom closet and takes off into space. He lands on the moon out of fuel, and encounters a Martian who is stranded there as well. The boy and the Martian figure out a way to get the boy back home to get the things they need to fix their flying machines. Once they are

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fixed, the Martian and the boy go their separate ways.

This was a cute story, but it was a little boring to me. My daughter wasn't a fan of it either.

This would be a good book to explain to children the genre of science fiction.

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A boy flies his airplane into the sky and gets stuck on the moon. On the same night, an alien's spacecraft breaks down and he is also stuck on the moon. Together they work out a plan for getting back to their homes and while they are excited to get back, they are also unsure if they will ever get

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to see each other again.

Cute story with very detailed pictures - they make the story as rich as it is. Could pair with Boy + Bot for a compare/contrast.

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A little boy becomes stranded on the moon and a young martian helps him return home again. The Earthling returns the favor when the little Martian boy becomes stranded. Nice illustrations and a sweet story just right for preschoolers that teaches cooperation and working together.

The best thing about this book is the illustration, I find that I am a huge fan of Oliver Jeffers illustrations. I thought that the story was cute and it showed that if you work together you can fix any problem. However I do not think the storyline/plot was very strong. I would use this in a young

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classroom as a fun read-a-loud, I don't think that it would fit in to any core subjects very well. I might use it in art class as a study of Oliver Jeffers techniques.

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This book is good for introducing problems that may seem insurmountable but are easily manageable with help from others. It also examines the functionality of teamwork, even between two people who don't know each other. The two characters in the story recognized that the other one was in trouble

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and they helped each other, even though they had just met. Lastly, the story always conveys optimism and that if friendships/relationships want to be maintained, no distance will stop them.

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An adventurous boy flies an airplane to the moon, where he makes an unexpected friend who helps him find his way home.

An adventurous boy flies an airplane to the moon, where he makes an unexpected friend who helps him find his way home.

When a young boy finds an airplane in his closet, he immediately sets out on an aerial adventure, getting as far as the moon before his plane runs out of fuel. Stuck on this celestial body, the boy encounters an alien who has also crash landed, and together the two lost spacefarers work out a way

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to get home...

Following upon How to Catch a Star and Lost and Found, which set out the first two adventures of this young boy-protagonist, The Way Back Home follows him as he heads to outer space, carried there by an airplane, and author/artist Oliver Jeffers' seemingly boundless imagination. Although not my favorite, of Jeffers' creations - I prefer some of his later titles, like A Child of Books, or the most recent, Here We Are - I do like these sweet, simple stories about a young boy and the connections he makes with the world (and the cosmos) around him. The artwork is appealing, in that trademark Jeffers way, and the ending heartwarming. Recommended to fellow Jeffers fans, and to anyone looking for entertaining adventure stories for the picture-book set.

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This is a delightful book about a young boy who finds an airplane in his closet that he had forgotten. Taking it for a ride he climbed higher and higher in the sky. Soon, he ran out of gas and landed on the moon. Alone and very afraid, he used his flashlight to look for assistance.

Way up in space

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another aircraft had problems when the engine stopped. The Martian landed on the moon with a thud. As sthey listened in the dark, they heard noises that made them very afraid. The boy who ran out of gas used a parachute to get back to earth and to his home.

He remembered his Martian friend and called loudly to no avail. The Martian finally lowered a rope for the boy to climb up to the moon. The boy fixed the Martian's shape ship and the Martian filled his plane with petrol.

Saying goodbye, they hoped they would one day meet again. Returning home, the boy found a surprise box from his friend the Martian.

This is a cute book without a lot of depth.

Three Stars

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