Kirkus
Copyright © Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.

Diplomacy is easy—if you don’t look hungry. Opening this book, savvy readers will spot the wordspower andauto translate in the bottom-right-hand corner of each double-page spread, with a colorful dot by each indicating the battery life of the device…er, book. Within a few page turns, a portal opens to reveal two extraterrestrial friends, yellow-skinned Blrg and orange-skinned Zrk. While the alien duo initially worry that readers are here to eat them, these concerns evaporate when they notice those “very tiny teeth.” While some messages get a little garbled (“What is your planet called? Planeturth? Never heard of it”), the interaction is mostly pleasant, and a colorful menagerie of extraterrestrials come to gawk before the book’s power level drops enough that the portal must close. Overall, it’s an amusing plot device, and one that will generate a lot of giggles from a receptive audience. Thickly outlined in black, the bold illustrations will show well to a large storytime. Portis provides extreme close-ups that give the artwork a surreal, Cubist feeling. Blrg’s and Zrk’s amorphous faces may initially confuse perceptive readers—the number of eyes on the aliens varies from one to two—but the visual gag is addressed in the text. UFO lovers will find this tale heavenly. Zany, out-of-this-world fun.(Picture book. 4-7) Copyright © Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.

Publishers Weekly
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In this speculative metafictional romp, readers open the covers to find themselves on one side of an apparent space portal staring at Zrk and Blrg, two bottle-shaped creatures—one chartreuse, one traffic-cone orange—whose googly eyes move around their faces. “ALIENS ARE REAL!!!!” they shout, sure they’re about to be devoured. But after assuring themselves that humans’ pearly whites are tiny and unthreatening, first contact turns into a cosmic meet-cute. Zrk and Blrg ask about “Planeturth”—though it’s hardly a peer of their home planet Xyl (which translates to “most important planet in the most important solar system in the most important galaxy in the universe”)—and introduce readers to their vibrantly colored friends, who, after a moment of trepidation, respond with friendly chorus of “Hi!” It seems like the beginning of a beautiful intergalactic friendship, but sharp-eyed readers will note the “power” and “auto translate” buttons on each spread shifting from green to ominous yellow, setting up a sudden farewell. Portis (A New Green Day) has cooked up something wonderfully weird and slyly relevant—both an interactive experience and a comic reminder that perspective is relative. Ages 4–8. Agent: Deborah Warren, East/West Literary. (Oct.)

Book list
From Booklist, Copyright © American Library Association. Used with permission.

Opening this enticing picture book launches readers into an out-of-this-world space-portal adventure. Each inventively designed, double-page spread resembles a handheld device, complete with power button and an auto-translate feature. A first glance seemingly offers a closeup view of a big, black circle in an orange box, but turning the pages affords a wider perspective and reveals more and more of Zrk and Blrg, two bright-neon, tuber-shaped space oddities. The curious creatures have a funny feeling someone is staring at them: “There is something out there!” “It is definitely not from here.” Fearing the worst, they exclaim, “ALIENS ARE REAL!!!!” Alarmed, Zrk and Blrg wonder, “Hey Alien, can you talk? Are you going to come over here and eat us?” Readers are asked to show their teeth. Relieved no threat is posed (“those are very tiny teeth”), the extraterrestrials begin to shoot the breeze and share get-to-know-you tidbits. Proud residents of Xyl (the “most important planet in the most important solar system in the most important galaxy in the universe”), they have never heard of “Planeturth.” Dwindling battery power necessitates a hasty but heartfelt farewell. Interactive intergalactic fun, with a stellar lesson in interplanetary interpersonal relations.