Hello? Is Anybody There?

Joe's encounter with Mika, who has fallen out of his spaceship, begins a thoughtful story full of wide-eyed wonder and speculation on life. Joe's Mum is about to have her baby and this acts a backdrop to a wider marvelling at and questioning of origins. 'The good thing about visiting a strange planet is that it makes you understand your own planet a little better,' says Mika and in his world questions are valued more highly than answers: 'An answer is always the stretch of road that's behind you. Only a question can point the way forward.' The book has a quaint charm and a simplicity that mellows the didacticism at its heart and allows readers from young juniors up to enter into the fun and possibilities posed by its questions.