Hush, Little Alien [Hardcover]

Daniel Kirk (Author)

Book Description

Grade Level: P and up

In this adaptation of the old lullaby, Hush, little baby, an extraterrestrial child is promised an assortment of outer space presents ending with a goodnight kiss from his adoring father.

Editorial Reviews

From Library Journal

PreSchool-Grade 2-This extraterrestrial adaptation of the lullaby features chartreuse-colored, four-armed aliens. All of the traditional elements are replaced with new items, such as a goonie bird instead of a mockingbird, and a shooting star in place of a diamond ring. The bright cartoon illustrations and bold lines give the book a retro look, suggesting early sci-fi toys. Some of the touches are genuinely humorous, such as the "toy" astronaut from a nearby space shuttle, and the illustrations of the Milky Way (a huge assortment of baby bottles, sippy cups, and milk cartons of all sizes). By the time the little alien uses his new tool belt to build a rocket ship, kids will be wholly won over. The expressions on the faces of the father and child alien show that a parent's love and a youngster's delight are truly universal. A pleasing story with loads of child appeal.
Kathleen M. Kelly MacMillan, Carroll County Public Library, Eldersburg, MD
Copyright 1999 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Kirkus Reviews

PLB 0-7868-2469-7 Kirk (Bigger, 1998, etc.) spins out an extraterrestrial version of the familiar lullaby, featuring a four-armed father promising his banana-colored little one, among other prizes, a shooting star, an astronaut (against the astronaut's wishes, it appears), a laser rifle, tools to build a spaceship and, finally, a good-night kiss. Giving his aliens the look of hard-shelled retro toys with large liquid eyes, the author develops a silent plotlinethe little alien builds the spaceship because he's melted the old one with his new laseras they move from a near-Earth orbit to the bottle-strewn Milky Way. It's a bedtime journey as loving, if not quite as soporific, as the original. (Picture book. 3-5) -- Copyright ©1999, Kirkus Associates, LP. All rights reserved.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 24 pages
• Publisher: Hyperion; 1st edition (October 2, 1999)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0786805382
• ISBN-13: 978-0786805389
• Product Dimensions: 10.1 x 10.1 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 13.6 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (14 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,005,846 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Discover books, learn about writers, read author blogs, and more.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A great book for young children, March 16, 2000

By A Customer

This review is from: Hush, Little Alien (Hardcover)

I bought this book as a Christmas gift for my seven-month-old son. He liked it immediately and I have had to read it to him every night since. I have had to hide it sometimes, because if he even sees it, he wants me to read it over and over! It is a great twist on "Hush little baby." I think one thing that makes this book fun is that you can sing it. For young children who are just learning to enjoy bedtime stories a song is very comforting before sleep. The illustrations are very colorful, and the relationship of the papa alien to his little son is patient and loving. I reccomend this book to parents looking for a book to read their babies. It has brought a lot of happiness to my son, and me too.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A Cute Twist on a Classic Song, October 11, 2002

By 

"zeebergee" (Briarcliff Manor, New York USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Hush, Little Alien (Board book)

My 22 month old son really likes this book. I "sing" the story to him and and he enjoys filling in the words he knows. A nice addition to the bookshelf!

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Golden Duck Winner, May 31, 2000

By A Customer

This review is from: Hush, Little Alien (Hardcover)

The pictures won over the majority of our panel. They are bold colors with not too busy a background.

The story is a rewrite of an old nursery song sung by a father alien to his son. "If that satellite gets away, Pappa will take you to the Milky Way."

We think that this is a great book for a father to share with a child!