A Long Way Away
In this novelty picture book that can be read both front to back and vice versa, a happy alien/squid (depending on where you begin) travels down/up each page on a voyage from deep space to deep waters, with a warm family embrace on one end and tranquil sleep on the other. The minimal text offers just a few words per page, and typical page spreads along the way can read “zooming / around / over / under” and offer fun path lines for kids to trace, or forced rhyming place settings like “good afternoon / a lagoon.” In all, it’s a bit of a lark that would be easily forgettable if it weren’t for Viva’s ace artwork. His bold graphic designs are kitschy clean, weirdly classy, and inviting all at once, drenched in black and blue and shot through with noodles of zippy yellow that highlight the alien/squid’s travels. Though there isn’t much to linger over here, children will have a blast yo-yoing endlessly back and forth through the pages of this light mind-bender. Preschool-Grade 1. --Ian Chipman