Review: Life on Mars

Summary: In this sneaky, silly picture book for fans of Oliver Jeffers and Jon Klassen, an intrepid—but not so clever—space explorer is certain he’s found the only living thing on Mars

A young astronaut is absolutely sure there is life to be found on Mars. He sets off on a solitary mission, determined to prove the naysayers wrong. But when he arrives, equipped with a package of cupcakes as a gift, he sees nothing but a nearly barren planet. Finally, he spies a single flower and packs it away to take back to Earth as proof that there is indeed life on Mars. But as he settles in for the journey home, he cracks open his cupcakes—only to discover that someone has eaten them all!

Readers will love being in on the secret: Unbeknownst to the explorer, a Martian has been wandering through the illustrations the whole time—and he got himself a delicious snack along the way. -- Dial Books for Young Readers

I know I'm a day early for my Kid Konnection feature, but I wanted to share LIFE ON MARS by Jon Agee with you right away! It's that darn special! Don't worry, I have another fun picture book and a giveaway for tomorrow.

LIFE ON MARS is a delightful picture book about one little explorer's visit to Mars. After traveling a very long way, a young astronaut is sure that he's going to discover life on Mars -- so sure that he brings a box of chocolate cupcakes to share. He's very sad to discover that there doesn't seem to be any sign of life, but then he finds a small flower to take home... and prove his case.  When he returns to his spaceship, he decides to eat one of his chocolate cupcakes. Imagine his surprise when he realizes that they have mysteriously disappeared!

LIFE ON MARS is too darn cute! I absolutely loved it and think parents and kids alike will find a lot to like about this silly book. The illustrations are extremely cute and the story itself is rather funny... especially the surprise ending. I loved the little astronaut and how determined he was to prove his point, and I couldn't help but smile at his oblivious nature. My smiles actually turned to a laugh when he realized that someone had eaten his cupcakes!

I think LIFE ON MARS could become one of those family favorite picture books! Highly recommended!

Thanks to the publisher for providing a review copy of this picture book.