Life on Mars by Jon Agee

Life on Mars by Jon Agee is a delight to read out loud and a marvelous conversation starter on so many levels. With Life on Mars , Agee does two of my all-time favorite thing in picture books. For most of the book, the words and illustrations tell two different stories and there is a twist at the end. Agee's illustrations are immediately evocative of the surface of Mars. Swaths of black sky are paired with light grays and browns of the surface of Mars, adding to the cold atmosphere of the planet. An astronaut travels to Mars, sure he will find life despite the fact that everybody thinks he's crazy. He wanders the planet, a somewhat mysterious white box tied with red string in one hand. Mars is a bit desolate and more gloomy than the astronaut expected. Passing a crater, a creature emerges, eyes and ears peeking out. The creature follows behind the astronaut, sometimes mimicking the movements of the astronaut. The astronaut begins to fear he won't find anybody