The Spaceman — Randy Cecil

Lovingly illustrated, this wry and gentle fantasy will speak to adults as well as children—and cast the familiar in an astonishing new light.A tiny Spaceman arrives on a new planet, ready to perform his monotonous tasks—collecting samples, labeling and filing them, and moving on to the next planet. But pausing to look around, the Spaceman is dazzled by the beauty of his surroundings. And when a large bird makes off with his ship, he’s forced to venture out into this new world—planet Earth—on foot. Marveling at a varied landscape of flowers, butterflies, and other wondrous creatures, he finds a pond to float in and a goofy, slobbery beast who seems to want to be his friend. Could it be that the Spaceman has found a new home? This simple and sophisticated story filled with deadpan humor offers surprises on each lively spread. From a veteran creator comes a delightfully droll story radiating warmth and the wonder of the new, reminding us to look up from our mundane lives and embrace discovery.