If You Had a Jetpack

PreS-Gr 2— In this charming circular story, a homemade jetpack is the catalyst for a boisterous fantasy adventure that blasts a young engineer from home, to school, on a visit to his Nana, and finally to outer space before he starts to miss his family and returns to Earth. The cast of characters is stylized clothes-wearing animals, appealingly reminiscent of the inhabitants of Richard Scarry's Busytown. The writing is cheerful and straightforward, and the illustrations often fill in humorous details to the plot, giving young readers and their adults great fodder for conversation about the clever interplay between words and images. Storytime crowds will warm to the book's fast-paced action, and independent readers will delight in the zany illustrations. In addition to fostering a sense of curiosity and invention, this book encourages a spirit of kindness, as many of the protagonist's imaginary adventures involve him helping others.