BEYOND THE STARS

Who would guess that the wonders of outer space include not only stars and planets, but astro-dogs and cookies and milk?

Printed on heavy, coated stock that unfolds in stages into a wall hanging, this extraterrestrial flight of fancy features a rocket at its center with an enthralled child peering through a large porthole at a succession of marvels. These include but are not confined to ringed planets, a flaming meteor, the International Space Station, a grinning, green-skinned ET flashing a “peace” sign, a mouse nibbling on a ragged moon, and an astronaut calling in an order to a floating pizza parlor. Along with posing the question “Are cookies found in the Milky Way?” Riggs’ five-sentence narrative includes a “Greetings, Earthlings!” from the alien and an exuberant observation at the end: “Many worlds await beyond the stars!” Sheban casts a low, mysterious glow over his crowded starscape, too dim to determine the ethnic identities of his human figures but bright enough to make out, for instance, a pair of canine space travelers and the yummy snack (see above) suspended in space amid the shadowy planets and satellites.

A droll mix of science and silliness just right for a bedtime flight.