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When an alien spaceship snatches up bears, moose, rabbits, and squirrels, everyone is concerned. But it isn’t only the meadow animals; the aliens also took farm animals and zoo animals.

The Animal Rescue League sends messages into space demanding the animals’ safe return; the mayor interrupts his campaigning to say how much he cares about the animals.

And then the alien spaceship returns. Why?

This story, presented in the format of a news broadcast, is both frenzied and hysterical. While everyone worries about the animals, the abducted animals don’t seem to be in any danger. [No spoiler here to tell you why.] There are clever clues in the Adobe Photoshop pictures and the runner along the bottom of each page is often hilarious.

The target audience for this picture book is the young reader, ages four through eight [preschool through third grade]. The colorful pictures add to the telling of the tale [be sure to look at the pictures bracketing the beginning and the ending of the story]. This book is one that parents are likely to enjoy as much as their young readers [who are sure to be laughing far too hard to go to sleep]. ( )