Grandmas from Mars by Michelle Robinson

Ill. by Fred Blunt. Bloomsbury Children's Books, 2018. ISBN 9781408888766
(Age: 3-6) Themes: Martians. Grandparents. Fred and Nell's mother and father leave for an evening meeting with Grandma in charge. 'Homework, a bath and in bed before eight,' are the simple instructions. All across town parents also leave, with responsible grandmas caring for their children. Unbeknown to the townsfolk, their homes are under scrutiny from bright green Martians who hatch a tricky plot. In a lightning fast beam, all the grannies are shot into the air and replaced by multi-limbed green aliens.
At first Fred and Nell enjoy the silly instructions, staying up all night, sliding down the bannisters and hovering over the chairs. After the children realise their grandma has some unusual body parts, they decide to run away. Mayhem occurs with all the Martians chasing the little ones, crushing the cars and going bonkers. With a special trick, Fred, Nell and the other children stop the Martian Grans and save the day.
Michelle Robinson's madcap rhyming story is fun to read out loud, complimented by Fred Blunt's lively, colourful illustrations. The bold green aliens with their extra eyes and limbs, antennas and silly expressions are humorous; youngsters will enjoy their actions and viewing the trouble they wreak. Grandmas from Mars is just right for junior primary students to model writing rhyming stories and make predictions about a visit from the Grandpas from Mars.
Rhyllis Bignell