When a young family happens upon a crashed alien UFO, they discover inside a small creature with antenna eyes and a body the general shape and size of a small dog. Lacking a collar or tag, the creature appears to be a stray, so the family takes him home and names him Grub. While their attempts to teach Grub tricks are unsuccessful, they still lovingly consider him part of the family, even when his disruptive paranormal powers cause everything around him to float. Just as they begin imagining life with Grub—Dad pictures himself and Grub driving down the road, Grub’s head out the window and tongue flapping in the wind; while Mom pictures Grub cozied up at the foot of the bed; and the kids imagine Grub making playtime extra fun—they realize Grub is not a stray and is missing his extraterrestrial home. Fortunately Grub’s family has been searching for him, and he’s safely beamed back aboard their spaceship. Ruttan’s debut as an author is a fun, lighthearted story sure to please any child with—or who dreams of having—a beloved family pet. Her charcoal pastel and digital illustrations playfully capture the mayhem the good natured Grub unintentionally causes, though the pea green waves depicting the levitating power that emanates from Grub give both Grub and many pages an unpleasant hue.

What Kind of Book is The Stray

Topics

aliens and extraterrestrial beings pets adoption

Genres

funny and humorous science fiction fiction

Reviews

4.00

4.50

5.00

4.75

Book Lists That Include The Stray

Books about aliens and extraterrestrial beings

Books about pets

Books about funny and humorous

The Creative Behind the Book

Author & Illustrator

Molly Ruttan

Molly Ruttan grew making art and music in Hastings-on-Hudson, New York. She went on to earn a BFA in graphic design from the Cooper Union School of Art, while drumming in an art-punk band. Currently, Molly lives, works and creates art in the diverse and historic neighborhood of Echo Park in Los Angeles, where she and her husband raised three talented (and now grown-up) children. Molly loves exploring all different kinds of fine art and illustration mediums, including making her own animated book trailers. She still plays the drums, sings in a community choir and has recently started taking viola lessons. Her life is full of art, music, family, friends and all kinds of pets and urban animals—even wild parrots! Her book titles include her author/illustrator debut, The Stray, (2020 Nancy Paulsen Books/Penguin Random House) which was listed as a 2021 ALA CORE Golden Duck Notable Picture Book; I Am A Thief! by Abigail Rayner, (2019 North South Books) which earned a starred Kirkus review and won a 2021 Northern Lights Book Award for humor; and Violet and the Crumbs: A Gluten-Free Adventure by Abigail Rayner (North South Books, 2022), which has been endorsed by the Celiac Disease Foundation. Something Wild has also received a starred Kirkus review. Molly has two additional books forthcoming.