Tiny Little Rocket

PreS-K—This title starts off with a teeny-tiny warning: "This book will make you want to BLAST OFF into outer space!" The tiny print is right-on in that the realistic yet whimsical illustrations will sweep up readers and make them want to visit the beautiful universe Collingridge has created. The story begins with the tiny little rocket blasting off on a rhyming adventure to Mars, the Sun, and narrowly avoiding a collision with a meteor before flying back to Earth. There the tiny little rocket unfurls a banner to say "Happy Birthday World!" celebrating the earth's birthday with a special three-page gatefold that shows the earth surrounded by sparkling fireworks. Taking advantage of the foldout, the reverse side shows our solar system with all nine planets and an explanation of how we celebrate the earth's birthday on New Year's Day. While the illustrations are mesmerizing, the minimal text is much more simple and is merely used as a way to get from one illustration to the next rather than telling a compelling story. In addition, the rhyming scheme doesn't always read smoothly. The illustrations alone should be enough to compel young readers to pick up this book.