I was going through one of the (many) piles of books by my couch and came across an advance reader's copy (ARC) of a new book by Jon Scieszka! (His last name rhymes with Fresca.)
Astronuts Mission Two: The Water Planet is the second book in the Astronuts series written by Scieszka and illustrated by Steven Weinberg. The Astronuts are mutant animals--AlphaWolf, SmartHawk, StinkBug, and LaserShark--who are on a mission to find a new home for humans due to the ecological problems we are now facing. The "Goldilocks Planet" must be just right for human habitation and without intelligent life. In this second book, the Astronuts land on a planet covered in water, ruled by President P.T. Clam and an all-clam government. The clams are eager to swap their world for Earth, and aren't above throwing a few bribes at AlphaWolf to seal the deal. But is this bargain too good to be true? Good thing the rest of the team has its doubts!
Most of the pages of the ARC were in black and white, but the cover promised the final copy would be in full color. The few color pages were much more readable and fun!
I would classify this book as a frameless graphic novel. The Water Planet has lots of dialogue, some narration, and font changes to help you keep up with who's saying what. There is a heavy dose of environmentalism and a not-so-subtle slam against get-rich politics--but do not fear, the citizens wage their protests in earnest. There are a lot of parallels to current events!
Astronuts Mission Two: The Water Planet is a fun stand-alone book, but could also be used to spark conversations on environmental issues and politics. The humor involves close attention to detail and some background knowledge to get the puns, making this a story that can be enjoyed by a wide age range--I'd say older second grade on up through middle school.
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