Synopsis
When Davey Martin's family moves to Mars, he discovers that there's nothing to do—at least until he and his robot dog Polaris learn to seize the spirit of adventure. It's not until they've zipped around the planet on his flying scooter—climbing Martian "trees," digging up "fossils," dancing in Martian rain dances—that they discover a treasure that finally piques Davey's interest—a source of water on the red planet!
Chris Gall's new picture book plays on the themes (and ironies) of a complaint parents have heard from their children a thousand times: "There's nothing to do!" The book also offers a deeper lesson to our stationary, convenience-driven society: If you're creative and look carefully, you'll be amazed at what you find!
The Washington Post - Elizabeth Ward
The story is fun, but the illustrations are spectacular. A note says they were done "by hand engraving clay-coated board and processing the result with the same space-age device used by NASA to help send men to the moon." A computer, presumably. Whatever the method, the results are a richly colorful blend of comic-book whimsy, woodcut-style realism and space-age precision.