THE BANANA SPLIT FROM OUTER SPACE
by Catherine Siracusa & illustrated by Catherine Siracusa
An easy illustrated novel in the Chapters series. Stanley Pig makes 26 flavors of ice cream and a mean banana split. Everybody stops at his stand on the road into town, until a new highway reroutes all the traffic, leaving Stanley in the dust. Enter Zelmo, a green pig from Mars, whose flying saucer crashes on top of Stanley's stand. This apparent disaster sets off a chain of events that puts Stanley's business back in order. Siracusa (The Giant Zucchini, 1993, not reviewed, etc.) provides plenty of action and Martian-speak to tickle the funny bones of six-year-olds. Text and humorous illustrations share space equally, making this the perfect next-step for those who have soloed on I Can Reads and other easy readers. (Fiction. 6-8)