This laugh-out-loud, visually groundbreaking read launches a major new series by children's literature legend Jon Scieszka. AstroWolf, LaserShark, SmartHawk and StinkBug are animals that have been hybridized to find other planets for humans to live on once we've ruined Earth. So off they rocket to the Plant Planet! - (Baker & Taylor)
Carbon dioxide is out of control on Earth, and the fate of humankind rests in the paws of four experimental, untested Animal Astronauts (AlphaWolf, SmartHawk, LaserShark, and StinkBug) who are seeking another habitable planet; first destination is the Plant Planet which at first looks perfect, except that the abundant plant life can think for itself--and it thinks that it really does not like the AstroNuts. - (Baker & Taylor)
"Jon Scieszka, the groundbreaking storyteller and master of wit, brings us a smart and hilarious adventure. AstroNuts doesn't just break new ground-it breaks outer space! Brilliant." ' Dav Pilkey, bestselling author of the Dog Man and Captain Underpants series
A laugh-out-loud tale packed with science, adventure, and a whole lot of fun: AstroWolf, LaserShark, SmartHawk, and StinkBug are animals that have been hybridized to find other planets for humans to live on once we've ruined Earth. So off they rocket to the Plant Planet! Will that planet support human life? Or do Plant Planet's inhabitants have a more sinister plan? AstroNuts Mission One is a can't-put-it-down page-turner for reluctant readers and fans ready to blast past Wimpy Kid.
" This is an outer space adventure that allows young readers to learn about our planet and environment while laughing and having fun
" Features full-color illustrations throughout as well as a spectacular gatefold
" How-to-draw pages are included in the back to help further engage readers and inspire creativity
Jon Scieszka is a bestselling author best known for his picture books The True Story of the Three Little Pigs! and The Stinky Cheese Man and Other Fairly Stupid Tales. He is also the founder of guysread.com, a champion force behind guyslisten.com, and was the first National Ambassador of Young People's Literature.
Steven Weinberg writes and illustrates kids' books about dinosaurs, roller coasters, beards, and chainsaws.
"The end of humankind is upon us, and who do we send to save us?!? Certainly not a human! Wickedly funny, a story about climate change that doesn't come off as preachy. Kids will love this, and adults would be better off reading it too." 'LeUyen Pham, illustrator of the Princess in Black series
A giant leap for bookmaking and a giant leap for any kid looking for their next go-to series.
" Great family and classroom read-aloud book
" Books for kids ages 9-12
" Elementary school chapter books - (Grand Central Pub)
"Jon Scieszka, the groundbreaking storyteller and master of wit, brings us a smart and hilarious adventure. AstroNuts doesn't just break new ground-it breaks outer space! Brilliant." — Dav Pilkey, bestselling author of the Dog Man and Captain Underpants series
A laugh-out-loud tale packed with science, adventure, and a whole lot of fun: AstroWolf, LaserShark, SmartHawk, and StinkBug are animals that have been hybridized to find other planets for humans to live on once we've ruined Earth. So off they rocket to the Plant Planet! Will that planet support human life? Or do Plant Planet's inhabitants have a more sinister plan? AstroNuts Mission One is a can't-put-it-down page-turner for reluctant readers and fans ready to blast past Wimpy Kid.
• This is an outer space adventure that allows young readers to learn about our planet and environment while laughing and having fun
• Features full-color illustrations throughout as well as a spectacular gatefold
• How-to-draw pages are included in the back to help further engage readers and inspire creativity
Jon Scieszka is a bestselling author best known for his picture books The True Story of the Three Little Pigs! and The Stinky Cheese Man and Other Fairly Stupid Tales. He is also the founder of guysread.com, a champion force behind guyslisten.com, and was the first National Ambassador of Young People's Literature.
Steven Weinberg writes and illustrates kids' books about dinosaurs, roller coasters, beards, and chainsaws.
"The end of humankind is upon us, and who do we send to save us?!? Certainly not a human! Wickedly funny, a story about climate change that doesn't come off as preachy. Kids will love this, and adults would be better off reading it too." —LeUyen Pham, illustrator of the Princess in Black series
A giant leap for bookmaking and a giant leap for any kid looking for their next go-to series.
• Great family and classroom read-aloud book
• Books for kids ages 9-12
• Elementary school chapter books - (Grand Central Pub)
"Jon Scieszka, the groundbreaking storyteller and master of wit, brings us a smart and hilarious adventure. AstroNuts doesn't just break new ground-it breaks outer space! Brilliant." — Dav Pilkey, bestselling author of the Dog Man and Captain Underpants series
A laugh-out-loud tale packed with science, adventure, and a whole lot of fun: AstroWolf, LaserShark, SmartHawk, and StinkBug are animals that have been hybridized to find other planets for humans to live on once we've ruined Earth. So off they rocket to the Plant Planet! Will that planet support human life? Or do Plant Planet's inhabitants have a more sinister plan? AstroNuts Mission One is a can't-put-it-down page-turner for reluctant readers and fans ready to blast past Wimpy Kid.
• This is an outer space adventure that allows young readers to learn about our planet and environment while laughing and having fun
• Features full-color illustrations throughout as well as a spectacular gatefold
• How-to-draw pages are included in the back to help further engage readers and inspire creativity
Jon Scieszka is a bestselling author best known for his picture books The True Story of the Three Little Pigs! and The Stinky Cheese Man and Other Fairly Stupid Tales. He is also the founder of guysread.com, a champion force behind guyslisten.com, and was the first National Ambassador of Young People's Literature.
Steven Weinberg writes and illustrates kids' books about dinosaurs, roller coasters, beards, and chainsaws.
"The end of humankind is upon us, and who do we send to save us?!? Certainly not a human! Wickedly funny, a story about climate change that doesn't come off as preachy. Kids will love this, and adults would be better off reading it too." —LeUyen Pham, illustrator of the Princess in Black series
A giant leap for bookmaking and a giant leap for any kid looking for their next go-to series.
• Great family and classroom read-aloud book
• Books for kids ages 9-12
• Elementary school chapter books - (HARPERCOLL)
Jon Scieszka is best known for his bestselling picture books, including The True Story of the Three Little Pigs! and The Stinky Cheese Man. He is also the founder of guysread.com and a champion force behind guyslisten.com, and was the first National Ambassador of Young People's Literature. He lives in Brooklyn.
Steven Weinberg writes and illustrates kids' books about dinosaurs, roller coasters, beards, and chainsaws. He lives in the Catskills in New York. - (Grand Central Pub)
Booklist Reviews
Scieszka joins creative forces with Weinberg to craft a zany new sf series with serious underpinnings. This first adventure is narrated by the planet Earth, who is quickly becoming uninhabitable for humans due to global warming (thanks to humans). The time has come to find a new home for this pesky species, so four genetically modified AstroNuts are blasted into space to inspect the Plant Planet. Illustration- and stat-filled spreads introduce the team. AlphaWolf is the mission leader, SmartHawk is a planning whiz, super-friendly LaserShark is in charge of (vegetarian) snacks, and StinkBug is the mission pilot and tech officer. As the AstroNuts explore the lush planet, it quickly evolves from promising to hostile. This book is packed with absurdity, misadventure, and science, and it unabashedly demonstrates how environments destabilize when dominated by a single species. Weinberg's collage illustrations are particularly noteworthy for their use of digitized engravings from the Rijksmuseum, incorporating a mini-lesson on Creative Commons. Scieszka's knack for writing with wit and kid appeal guarantees that this will be a popular choice. Grades 3-6. Copyright 2019 Booklist Reviews.
Kirkus Reviews
Science and silliness intersect when four animal friends research a planet. The Not the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (also known as NNASA) has sent its four superpowered AstroNuts—bubblegum-pink fearless leader AlphaWolf, sunny tangerine SmartHawk, cool blue LaserShark, and lively lime-green StinkBug—into outer space to explore faraway planets. In their top-secret ship, which doubles as Thomas Jefferson's nose on Mount Rushmore, they snot-rocket their way 39 light-years to the Plant Planet. Brimming with verdant vegetation, it looks like an ideal place to relocate Earth's population due to climate change. But upon further investigation, they discover that the sentient, vegetal inhabitants have their own nefarious plans for the AstroNuts. Narrated by Earth, the tale treats middle-grade readers to a hearty dose of science facts that blend seamlessly with a hilarious narrative propelled by booger and fart jokes, making this a fun read-alike for fans of Aaron Blabey's Bad Guys series. Climate change is presented accessibly, a s is information about plant cell structure and basic chemistry, making this a must-have for those looking to boost STEM-related titles. The graphic-hybrid design is lively, blending varied typefaces and vivid colors alongside collage illustrations that incorporate images from the Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam. A winning mix of fun and fact—readers will be eager for the next mission. (Graphic/science fiction hybrid. 7-11) Copyright Kirkus 2019 Kirkus/BPI Communications. All rights reserved.
Publishers Weekly Reviews
Scieszka (the Frank Einstein series) and Weinberg (Fred & The Lumberjack) begin a new middle grade series with this tale of ecological stewardship and teamwork centered on the search for a Goldilocks planet: neither too hot nor too cold, and able to sustain human life. As Earth narrates, the dapper AstroWolf leads a team to the Plant Planet. The mission's engineered, untested animal astronauts include four hybrids: AstroWolf, ultra-organized SmartHawk, nurturing (and electromagnetic) LaserShark, and odiferous StinkBug, all members of NNASA (Not the National Aeronautics and Space Administration). After taking off from their Mt. Rushmore headquarters in a Thomas Jefferson Nose Rocket and making a crash-landing, the team quickly finds that while the lush, lovely Plant Planet is filled with food and the underpinnings of shelter, it seems to be missing a vital component. Alongside trademark Scieszka humor and vivid digital collage by Weinberg, which features engravings from the collection of Amsterdam's Rijkmuseum, the vital environmental message and the vibrantly imagined, quirky characters will garner hefty enthusiasm for future installments. Ages 8–12. Agent: Steven Malk, Writers House. (Sept.)
Copyright 2019 Publishers Weekly.
School Library Journal Reviews
Gr 2–5—Here is a wacky tale, heavy with glossy pages of vibrant graphics, that will appeal to "Captain Underpants" and "Geronimo Stilton" devotees. Overrun with pollution, Earth's atmosphere reaches uninhabitable levels, forcing NNASA (Not the National Aeronautics and Space Administration) to deploy four mutated animal astronauts (misspelled in transmission as "AstroNuts"). The animals were superpowered with scientific talents to find an ideal planet for relocating humanity. AlphaWolf is the boss, deployed to find intelligent life; SmartHawk is tasked with inspecting the new planets' climates and ecosystems; LaserShark must search for delicious food; and StinkBug seeks shelter. Readers will cheer for these (mostly) heroic and aptly named nuts as they haphazardly explore a seemingly perfect plant planet. VERDICT This first in a new sci-fi series checks key boxes: it is funny, full of nonstop action, and jammed with plenty of science factoids.—Tara Kehoe, Charlotte Mecklenburg Library, NC
Copyright 2019 School Library Journal.
