They Came by Mark Tatulli (review)

“They came. Across the far reaches of inky space,” with the “they” in this picture book being little green (and blue and orange and purple) men. As their spaceship crunches down on Earth, scattering bicycles and juice cups, terrified humans can only wonder: “Why did they come? What do they want? Why are they here?” The policeman worries about theft; the journalist thinks the visitors are grabbing the media spotlight; and the general believes they want to take over the planet. As these spokespersons for adult anxiety and wrong-headedness cordon off the area with yellow tape, Stephen Sprout (“who wasn’t big enough for a two-wheeler and was rumored to sleep with a night-light”) arrives on the scene with a theory: they came for marshmallows. This is borne out by the aliens’ offer of delicious hot chocolate, clearly needing only marshmallows to reach the height of excellence. Sharing is the key to intergalactic peace. Adults on readaloud duty will think they’ve stumbled on a remake of The Day the Earth Stood Still, updated yet again for a new generation. Tatulli’s narration plays right into the melodramatic cadence of first contact sci-fi, but the book leavens it with a touch of kid-appropriate satire, cartoon-illustration lunacy, and an irresistible invitation to audience participation in the repeated “Why did they come?” riff. Young listeners will easily project onto mop-haired, wide-eyed Stephen, boldly riding his tricycle into the fray and teaching grownups a thing or two about détente.