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Here Come the Aliens! by Colin McNaughton (view source)
Revision as of 18:08, 22 November 2012
, 18:08, 22 November 2012no edit summary
|buy=Yes
|borrow=Yes
|formatpaperback=Paperback0744543940
|pages=32
|publisher=Walker Books Ltd
Auntie Irene buys good books. She used to be a teacher and has an instinct for what will interest children and make them laugh, or groan, or think. Her latest present to my grandchildren is "Here Come the Aliens!" by Colin McNaughton.
This isn't a book which panders to children. It's a little old for my granddaughter who's not quite two, but she squeals in delight at the pictures. Ben, who's all of 3½, appreciates the story, but Alex (5 last week) understands the story and the message behind it.
The story's written in verse. Three lines rhyme and the fourth is the chorus of "The aliens are coming!" The story swings along and even the least-confident young reader will soon recognise the final line of each verse. The tension builds.
At 32 pages this is a good story for a parent to read and discuss with the child. The illustrations are beautifully drawn and there's a lot to talk about on every page. I've read it several times now and each time I've seen something new - the planet which resembles one of our dogs' toys or the alien who seems to have an elephant's trunk.
A young reader tackling this book on their own would probably find it enjoyable up to the age of about seven. There are words in the book which require concentration and possibly explanation. The fleet's first mate is "''gaseous and smelly"''. Another alien "''squeaks and squawks"''. The rhymes help the memory but there are lots of lovely big words in there to get the mind and tongue around. There are even phrases which will make adult readers smile - "''They've boldly been where we've not ''.
This book was written in 1995. Some momentous things have happened in the intervening years, but the message of this book still holds good. If anything it's even more important today. Things which seem strange can be quite familiar when you look at them closely and deep down we're all much the same, no matter how different we may seem on the surface. When I started reading the book to my grandchildren I did wonder if the subject of alien invasion was appropriate bedtime reading, but even sensitive and thoughtful Alex found it funny rather than frightening.