Aliens Get the Sniffles Too!
written by Katy S. Duffield; illustrated by K.G. Campbell
2017 (Candlewick Press)
Source: Review copy provided by the publisher
And sick is extra-terrestrial bad when you have two throats, five ears, and three noses.
Poor Little Alien. He has an out of this world cold that has him producing supersonic sneezes. All of the symptoms are present (scratchy throat, runny nose, etc.). What do you do for a kid that has two throats, five ears, and three noses and all of them hurt? Well, start with a Milky Way milkshake for the throats. As for the ears, a drop of water and a pinch of stardust can help with that ailment. Three stuffy noses? A team of smaller aliens carrying plungers called the decongestants are called into action. This reminds me of using a snot sucker (see below) on my children when they were very young. That never goes well. Meanwhile, Little Alien's best friend, his
With cold season ramping up and those donated classroom boxes of tissue disappearing quickly, this book is the perfect medicine for a room full of sniffles. Students will quickly make connections to Little Alien and his troubles. They will also be full of suggestions on how to make a best friend feel better. The wordplay would fit well with a unit on space, and you could use Aliens to teach children about problem and solution. Working on compare and contrast with a Venn diagram? Compare Little Alien with a child in your class. A spoonful of Aliens Get the Sniffles Too! is just the cure for your readers.