COMPANY'S COMING

by Arthur Yorinks ‧ RELEASE DATE: Feb. 1, 1988

In the most deliciously funny picture-book about extraterrestrials since the Marshalls' Space Case, a pair of friendly, foot-high, insectlike creatures arrive in a bright red flying saucer (at first mistaken for an outsized barbecue) and are invited by a nice middle-aged lady to join a family party. Her husband, more apprehensive, notifies the FBI, so that by the time the creatures report for the appointed meal a mighty arsenal awaits them. Still, when the gift they bring proves to be not a bomb but just a blender (""We weren't sure if you had one of these. . .it was on sale!""), everyone from cousins to marines settles down together for a friendly spaghetti dinner. Small supplies this gentle satire with a suburban neighborhood of identical houses, an array of comically caricatured folks, two charming aliens, and a fierce multitude of military men and their war engines looming from the shadows. Though the style is cartoonish, the execution is subtle as well as humorous. A pointed story with its point well made.

Pub Date: Feb. 1, 1988

ISBN: N/A

Page Count: 32

Publisher: Crown

Review Posted Online: N/A

Kirkus Reviews Issue: Jan. 15, 1988

Categories: CHILDREN'S