Alien & Possum: Hanging Out - Softcover

Tony Johnston is a renowned author of more than one hundred books for young readers. Among her award-winning books are The Iguana Brothers, illustrated by Mark Teague; the Sparky and Eddie books, illustrated by Susannah Ryan; The Quilt Story and The Badger and the Magic Fan, both illustrated by Tomie dePaola; The Wagon, illustrated by James E. Ransome; and Yonder, illustrated by Lloyd Bloom. Her previous books with Simon & Schuster include the Alien & Possum series as well as Go Track a Yak! Tony was a teacher before going into publishing, and is now a full-time writer. She lives with her family in San Marino, California.

Tony DiTerlizzi is the author of The Search for WondLa. He is also the co-creator and illustrator of the bestselling Spiderwick Chronicles, the author and illustrator of Jimmy Zangwow’s Out-of-this-World MoonPie Adventure, as well as the Zena Sutherland Award winning Ted. His brilliantly cinematic version of Mary Howitt’s classic The Spider and The Fly earned Tony his second Zena Sutherland Award, and recieved a Caldecott Honor. Tony’s art has also graced the covers of such well-known fantasy writers as Peter S. Beagle, J. R. R. Tolkien, Anne McCaffrey, and Greg Bear. He has also made significant contributions to Dungeons and Dragons and Wizards of the Coast’s Magic; The Gathering. His first chapter book, Kenny & the Dragon debuted as a New York Times bestseller. He lives with his wife, Angela and their daughter in Western Massachusetts and Jupiter, FL. Visit Tony on the web at www.diterlizzi.com. 

Grade 2-3-Alien is unhappy because he is so different from the rest of the forest creatures. Possum tells him how special he is, and that it doesn't matter that Alien is hard, shiny, and metal while Possum is furry and soft. The dissimilar characters become friends and, in the next two stories, celebrate their birthdays together and hang from a tree, one upside down and the other right side up. Fans of DiTerlizzi's wonderful Jimmy Zangwow's Out-of-This-World Moon Pie Adventure (S & S, 2000) will love the amusing illustrations of these two pals and their antics. In spite of the easy-reader format, this book is better suited as a read-aloud as some of the vocabulary is quite difficult. A good choice to prompt discussion about self-acceptance.
Kristin de Lacoste, South Regional Public Library, Pembroke Pines, FL
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