Bloop

by Tara Lazar (Author) Mike Boldt (Illustrator)

Bloop
Reading Level: 2nd − 3rd Grade

Bloop, the little green alien, must conquer Earth, and his first step is figuring out who's in charge. The answer? Dogs! This picture book about an alien who looks like a pug is laugh-out-loud funny--and full of heart, too! The perfect story for dog lovers!

In his quest to become the next Emperor of Planet XYZ, Bloop makes too many bloopers. So he's sent to Earth to conquer that crazy planet first. Who's in charge there? One visit to the park and Bloop knows: dogs, of course! Bloop tries to master these maddening mutts and prove that he's top dog. But once Bloop gets a taste of the good life on Earth, what will he do when he's summoned back to XYZ?

Readers will cheer as the little pug-like alien realizes the love of family makes Earth his real home. Tara Lazar's hilarious text perfectly pairs with Mike Boldt's vibrant art in this picture book about an alien who finally finds where he belongs.

Select format:
Hardcover
$17.99

Publishers Weekly

After "too many bloopers," green extraterrestrial Bloop, who hails from a population of canine-like creatures, is sent to conquer Earth and prove that he’s worthy to be the next emperor of his own planet. Upon arrival, he finds that Earth is already being run by beings similar to him-in fact, they’ve successfully trained humans to carry, chase, and scoop. Attempting to learn dogs’ secrets, he eyes the way they "inspected their empire"-sticking heads out of car windows while being chauffeured around. Hoping to insinuate himself as a way of grabbing power, the pug-like Bloop gets adopted by a loving interracial family; their adoration and service persuades him that he is now "supreme leader" with all the benefits-"including something called ‘bacon,’ " writes Lazar (The Upper Case: Trouble in Capital City). With its goofy narrative energy, skewed perspective, and accumulating visual gags, the story instantly brings to mind a classic cartoon; indeed, Boldt’s (Bad Dog) protagonist has the googly-eyed expressiveness and boundless, roly-poly physicality of a Warner Bros. animation, with a core joke that’s on human readers. Ages 4-8. 

Copyright 2021 Publisher’s Weekly, LLC Used with permission.

Tara Lazar
Tara Lazar finds it fabulous to be foolish about felines. She opened the door to a cat mewling, offered the stray a can of tuna, and the cat never left. She is the author of 7 Ate 9, The Monstore, Bloop and more. You can find them all--Tara, her husband, two daughters and a black cat--somewhere in New Jersey. Flat Cat is her 13th book. You can visit Tara Lazar online at taralazar.com.

Pete Oswald is the #1 New York Times bestselling illustrator of The Smart Cookie; The Couch Potato; The Cool Bean; The Good Egg; and The Bad Seed, all written by Jory John. Pete's authorial debut, Hike, was shortlisted for the CILIP Kate Greenaway Medal. He is also the illustrator of Sleepy Sheepy, written by Lucy Ruth Cummins, and the indie bestsellers The Attack of the Underwear Dragon and The Return of the Underwear Dragon, written by Scott Roth­man. In addition to making picture books, he works on numerous highly success­ful animated franchises as a character designer, concept artist, and production designer. He lives in Los Angeles with his wife and three sons. You can visit Pete Oswald online at PeteOswald.com.
Classification
Fiction
ISBN-13
9780062871602
Lexile Measure
-
Guided Reading Level
-
Publisher
HarperCollins
Publication date
July 06, 2021
Series
-
BISAC categories
JUV019000 - Juvenile Fiction | Humorous Stories
JUV002070 - Juvenile Fiction | Animals | Dogs
JUV013000 - Juvenile Fiction | Family | General
Library of Congress categories
-

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